


Super Psycho Love

by Rhov



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: AMV, Angst, Biting, Bloodplay, Broken Bones, Broken Lucy, Cheating, Come Eating, Come Marking, Dream Sex, Drunkenness, Everyone's Insane, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fear of Pregnancy, Flirting, Forced Pregnancy, Fucked Up, Graphic Description, Hair-pulling, Head Injury, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Infidelity, Inspired by Music, Jealousy, Lemon, Love Triangles, Major Character Injury, Masturbation, Maybe Pregnant, Mental Breakdown, Non-Consensual Violence, Please Don't Hate Me, Psychological Torture, Psychosis, Rape, Restraints, Sadism, Sexual Violence, Squirting, Torture, Unsafe Sex, Violence, Violent Natsu, Wet Dream
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-06
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2017-11-13 16:42:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 61,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/505591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhov/pseuds/Rhov
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Lucy wants to make Natsu jealous, she turns to Gray. It works … too well! Now Gray has captured Lucy's heart, but Natsu is more than just a little jealous. Will Gray free her heart from its desire for revenge, will he become her next boy-toy, or will they all fall victim to this "super psycho love"? Collab with Moonlessnight126 based on her GrayLu/NaLu AMV on YouTube. Spicy, dark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Something Lately Drives Me Crazy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Moonlessnight126](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Moonlessnight126).
  * Inspired by [AMV - Super Psycho Love](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/43620) by Moonlessnight126. 



> _This is based on the YouTube AMV by Moonlessnight126 found here:[Super Psycho Love](http://youtu.be/ucXn-B6DHpU). Watching the video will spoil the fic, but it's really amazing. Music for the AMV is from Simon Curtis' "Super Psycho Love."_
> 
> _Warning: It's OOC if you believe Lucy isn't the sort to seek revenge. Personally, I think any overly-proud woman might be tempted to "get even" with a person who wronged her, and do foolish things in the process. Heaven knows I did things not in my character when wronged by a boyfriend! Warning: the plot gets very dark in later chapters … very, very dark!_
> 
> _Disclaimer: Plot by Moonlessnight126, Fairy Tail and all characters are the property of Hiro Mashima._

Gray stepped up to the guild hall just as Lucy burst through the doors. He barely had time to step aside and let her by before she stomped past him, not even saying hello. No tears were on her face, although she was sniffling as if crying. Instead, he saw fury in her eyes. His hand reached out for her as she stormed by, but he stopped himself. He was not good at dealing with emotional girls anyway, and he had no clue what happened. For all he knew, Happy said her butt looked big in that skirt. Instead of calling out to her, Gray continued to go inside the Fairy Tail guild hall and walked straight to the bar. The best person to ask for gossip was, after all, Mirajane Strauss.

"Yo, Mira, an ale and tell me what's up with Lucy."

She got the beer going as she explained. "Lucy and Loke just broke up."

"Well, that was quick," Gray mumbled, not that he was too surprised that their relationship lasted less than a week. "I figured he'd cheat on her. So she dumped him, huh?"

"Actually, that's not the case," the bartender said, setting the foamy mug in front of Gray. He eagerly began to drink it down to quench the summer heat. "I'm not clear on all the details since they were shouting about all sorts of stuff, but it was Loke who broke up with Lucy."

Gray spit out the beer and began to choke. "He … he what? Loke? But … but that playboy has been after her for ages, ever since he became her Celestial Spirit. After all these years flirting with her, he dumped her in five days? What an asshole!" he shouted.

"Gray, that's not all…"

"Poor Lucy," he said over her, looking back to the doors. "Ever since breaking up with Natsu, she's had nothing but bad luck with men."

"Maybe for a reason," Mira whispered to herself. "Natsu broke up with her too, if you'll recall."

"Yeah, but we all know he's an idiot," Gray shrugged. "That damn flame-brain didn't realize he'd never get a girl as good as Lucy again."

"Perhaps, but the others broke up with her, too." She eyed Laxus and Gajeel, two other men who had dated Lucy over the past six months since her and Natsu's shocking breakup. Mira knew there had been others: Hibiki, Sting, and a few men around town for one-night stands. Softly, she confided to Gray, "There are rumors about Lucy's bad habits. I heard from Levy, who was told by Gajeel, that Lucy toys with her guys, treats them like pets or servants. I wonder if that has something to do with her relationship with her father," she mused.

"Doesn't matter," Gray said with determination, and he gulped down his beer far too quickly. "This must be heartbreaking for Lucy, to always get such lousy men in her life."

Mira smirked coyly. "Oh? Do you plan to do something about it, Gray?"

His blue eyes glanced over to the bartender with a smirk. "Maybe I should!"

She was afraid of this. "You really shouldn't get involved with her. From what Levy told me…"

"I don't care about gossip," Gray snapped, and he finished off his mug. "At the least, Lucy needs a friend."

"Gray, if you'll just stop and listen…"

"Thanks, Mira," he interrupted. He laid down a few Jewels to pay for the drink, then shoved himself off the barstool and marched out the door.

Mira laid a hand on her cheek. "Oh dear me! That boy has no patience at all, not even to hear someone fully explain a problem. Oh well, he'll have to learn the hard way. It seems Lucy's going to have another victim soon." She shrugged and went to the sink to clean a few glasses while the crowd was busy talking about the breakup.

In the corner of the hall, sitting with a strong drink that would have gained Cana's respect, Natsu watched all of this with narrow, glaring eyes. The shadows in that corner had fled by the low flames that danced over his skin, hinting at the fiery jealousy burning within, slowly driving the Dragon Slayer insane.

"Gray…" Natsu sneered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _This intro is not in the video but is mentioned in the creator's notes. It establishes what's going on. Natsu and Lucy dated, he dumped her 6 months ago, and now she's had a bad run of luck with men._


	2. Tell Me Why I Feel Unwanted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I don't own the lyrics to "Super Psycho Love." It's part of the AMV this story is based upon._

Lucy fumed as she stomped through the summery streets of Magnolia. Not only had her relationship with Loke ended far too soon—she had no time to play with him at all—but he almost ruined it for her. If she had not slammed his gate shut and forced him back to the Spirit World, he would have told the whole guild about her dark secret.

Damn that Lion and his keen instincts! He saw right through her intentions from the very start.

What was worse was that dating Loke got no reaction out of Natsu at all, not like the delicious shock he had shown when she began going out with Laxus, and the flaring jealousy he displayed when she went for Gajeel. That choice had nearly ruined her friendship with Levy, but it was worth it to see Natsu fuming. Served him right for breaking up with her!

She was not done tormenting Natsu, either. Maybe it was mean, maybe it was not at all like the sunny face she showed to everyone at the guild. She no longer cared about keeping up appearances now. After all, Lucy had been raised as an heiress, a lady with a large sense of pride and dignity. She had been brought up with servants obeying her wishes, eager to please her. She did not easily forgive those who insulted her or her friends. So how dare some crude cretin like Natsu lead her on for so many months, whisper he would be with her forever, take her virginity, pleasure her in all the ways she always wanted, only to say he was bored now and dump her like that! How dare he steal her innocence and then discard her like a broken toy!

Well, she knew about toying with people! She wanted Natsu as her pet, a little dog to eat out of her fingers. Once he was her plaything, she would punish the bad dog and laugh as he crawled away with his tail between his legs.

For the sake of all future girlfriends, that boy needed to learn that women were not something to be used and discarded. Or so she told herself.

She did not actually want Natsu back as a boyfriend; that was not the issue here at all. His goofy side was plain annoying. He was good in bed, but lousy to take on dates. She just wanted him to want her again so she could deny him his desires. It was similar to the punishments her father sometimes used to dole out to the servants.

Besides, the guy had a dark side to him that thrilled her. Lucy wanted to see that darkness, that Dragon Slayer whose angry eyes could burn a person's soul!

She had thought an older and experienced man like Laxus would cull out that inner darkness, but perhaps she had made her move too soon. She knew Gajeel and Natsu were rival Dragon Slayers, and she had hoped they would fight over her. She likely could have pushed them to that point, seduced Gajeel into "claiming" her as his mate, and Natsu would have been able to smell the other Dragon Slayer's "marking," yet it was not worth seeing Levy so depressed. They broke up with mutual understanding, but then the jerk bragged that he was the one who dumped her. She thought for certain Loke would have gone as far as she wanted, maybe even helped her to teach Natsu a lesson since he was supposed to obey her orders. Alas, that playboy saw something in her actions and bailed out, just like Laxus did when she got too clingy.

So who else? Who could she date who would make Natsu jealous, but someone who would be fine with showing a little public affection to torment her ex-boyfriend? Dating Hibiki and Sting did not work simply because they were too far away. Natsu did not get to see them happy together. Hibiki's flowery praise was hardly anything unusual; he talked to all women like that, so it had no affect. Although Natsu had fiercely warned her not to have anything to do with Sting and definitely showed signs of jealousy, the White Dragon Slayer was too hard to manipulate. He made a terrible toy. No, it had to be someone in Magnolia, someone Natsu could see every day. That was the best way to punish him.

She paused in the park. Although it was a crowded summer day, she had felt eyes upon her for some time, someone watching her. Looking back, she saw a shadow in the bushes quickly pull back around a narrow tree. It made her heart leap in a moment of fear, but she narrowed her eyes. Some stalker, huh? She could deal with creeps like that.

She pointed her finger sharply at him with one hand on her whip. "Get out here. I've caught you, so just come out."

In his hiding place, Gray's eyes widened in shock. How could she have sensed him so easily? Still, there was no use hiding now. He slouched around the tree that he thought had blocked him and came out from the bushes.

"Yo, Lucy," he greeted, trying to sound casual, as if they bumped into each other purely by accident and not like he had been tailing her for the past ten minutes.

She frowned at him. Gray? That surprised her. "Taking lessons from Juvia in stalking, huh?"

"I wasn't…" he began to yell, yet he fell silent and petulantly looked away.

His shirt was unbuttoned, not missing yet, but likely he had been ready to strip when she called him out. As he folded his arms and looked aside with a faint blush, Lucy could hardly help but notice how that movement made his pectorals bulge. Gray went around topless most of the time, but none of the girls in Fairy Tail minded. He was hot! Her eyes lazily drifted down from the sword pendant necklace, across the guild mark that screamed for attention on his muscular chest, down taut abs, and to his trousers.

She wondered for a moment … why had she not thought about using Gray? He and Natsu were sworn eternal rivals. If Gemini was right, the Ice-Make wizard was interested in the celestial summoner. Following her like this only proved it. A smirk lifted onto Lucy's face.

This could work perfectly!

"Why were you following me?" she asked coyly.

"I was worried. I heard about you and Loke."

A small pang of worry troubled her. "Heard? What did you hear?" She would order Virgo to punish Loke if he came back under his own magic and blabbed her plans of revenge to everyone.

"Not much. The jerk dumped you. That's harsh, especially for Loke. Are you okay?" he asked, looking truly concerned.

 _Jackpot!_ Lucy sashayed up to him and bit on her lip to look seductive as she played the victim. "To tell you the truth, it hurt," she said in a small, meek voice. "I thought Loke really liked me, but then he said such mean things to me."

Gray felt anger surge in his veins. "I'll kick his ass!"

"Gray?" She suddenly rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his torso, slithering her hands under the opened shirt and feeling the cool muscles on his back. "Am I really that terrible?"

"Wh-what?" he stuttered, shocked by her sudden move. "What the hell did that bastard say about you?"

"No, it's just … no guy wants me, or all they want is my body. I hate it!" She gave a sniffle and turned her face as far away as possible while snuggling into him. "They don't want me for _me_. None of them see Lucy Heartfilia. They see big boobs and slender legs." She felt Gray slowly move a hand to rest on her shoulder, awkwardly comforting her. It made her smile, so she buried her head deeper into his chest to hide that tattling grin. Trying to sound choked up, she muttered, "Tell me why I feel unwanted."

The shiver he felt through her body tore at Gray's heart. "Lucy," he whispered.

Gray stroked down her golden hair, feeling the softness of the strands. He had liked her long before she and Natsu started dating. Natsu simply made the first move, and Gray kept his distance out of respect. So long as she was happy, that was enough, he told himself while battling intense feelings of jealousy every time he saw the two share a kiss. He had stormed out in blind fury the day Natsu burst into the guild hall happily bragging that he and Lucy were now "mates." Watching them so happy made him feel ill, yet he continued to smile for her sake.

When she and Natsu broke up, it nearly destroyed their team. Lucy went on more missions with Levy and Team Shadow Gear, or she escorted Wendy and Romeo on their missions since they were underage. It took two months before Erza demanded that the old team should reunite for a mission, and no one argued with Erza. Even now, Team Natsu was a powder keg of drama. Natsu seemed unaffected, Lucy tried to act the same as always, but it was obvious they were both forcing themselves to work together.

Gray did not want to add oil to those flames.

Yet now, the soft pang in his heart could hardly help but want to protect Lucy, shelter her, comfort her, smother her in affection. Emotions that were forced down when Lucy and Natsu began going out, feelings that slowly tortured him when she began dating those other men, now flogged him into action. Gray took her chin and tilted it up. Despite her sniffles and shaking chest, there were still no tears in her eyes. Faking it? Or was she being stubborn about not crying in public? Still, her face looked wracked with worry, and that at least appeared to be genuine.

"Don't listen to them, Lucy." His eyes began to roam lower. How could he not stare at her chest pressed against his body, shoving those huge breasts into gravity-defying globes! Still, that would make him as bad as the men she had dated, so he forced his eyes back up to her face. "Men like that don't deserve you," he told her tenderly.

"Oh?" she mused, staring at his lips. Her fingers clutched at his back, and she knew he was affected by the way his breath hitched. "And what do I deserve?"

"Someone who respects you." Despite the warning bells in his head, Gray began to lean in until he could feel her breath on his lower lip. "Someone … who loves you."

His voice was so deep, so sensual, sparking with so much passion, Lucy felt herself blush. None of the others had ever said they loved her, not like that. "Gray," she whispered.

His lips silenced her until all she could mutter was a hum of delight at how gentle his mouth felt, nothing at all like Natsu's dry lips, the stubble that made Laxus' lips scratchy, the hardness of Gajeel's lips, or the over-eagerness that had been in each of Loke's kisses. Despite his ice magic and the chill that permiated off of his body like standing near an air conditioner on a summer day, these soft lips were warm, comforting, like a kotatsu in the middle of winter.

Lucy wondered for a moment how many girlfriends Gray must have had to be able to kiss so well. Everything about it, from the way his mouth pulled ever so slightly on her bottom lip, to how he held her, was something a person learned with plenty of practice, and Gray kissed like a pro. Still, she did not sense arrogance in the kiss, not like she had with Laxus and Loke, nor wanton hunger like Natsu and Gajeel's kisses. No, Gray's kissing ability was on a completely different level, one Lucy had not experienced in her short time dating men.

The ache in her heart that had throbbed in a dull pain since Natsu broke up with her was suddenly gone. The fiery hatred was cooled by the touch of the ice wizard. For a moment, she could forget about desires for revenge. Gray would protect her. Gray would love her. Who needed Natsu anyway?

 _No!_ She screamed at herself and squinted her eyes tighter to block out those relaxing thoughts.

She refused to slip into that comfortable dependency again. If she let herself be taken in by sweet words, it would only happen all over again, being seduced, used, and discarded. She tried to shut her emotions off to it, yet as Gray's lips pressed tighter against hers, her heart pounded hard despite herself. She refused to let herself suffer that again!

The fear of falling into that old pain helped her like a life vest in the middle of an ocean of love. She refused to drown in that emotion again, at least not until she got her revenge. Just as she felt lightness in her heart, the darkness took hold of the small recesses once again. As she kissed Gray in the park, Lucy felt like cackling.

_Oh yes, this will be fun!_

Then they heard a group of children making gagging noises at them. Both of their eyes opened wide in surprise. Lucy did not have to pretend at her embarrassment. She stepped back and wiped her mouth discreetly while Gray cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous gesture.

"I … thanks, Gray. I think … maybe I needed to hear something like that, but … not today."

"I'm sorry." He flinched at pushing himself onto her less than an hour after her breakup.

"No," she assured quickly. "I mean, I … I need some time but…" She smiled and finally looked directly at him. "Maybe we can go somewhere in a week. Just sit and talk, if you want. I … I really need a friend to hear me out. All the rumors going around the guild have been plain vicious."

He frowned as he remembered what Mira had been saying. Of course, if a guy like Loke dated three girls in a week, it was no big deal, but if a girl dated three guys in six months, that made her fair game for the gossips and busybodies. How dare any of them call Lucy loose, or a tramp toying with men's hearts, or say she was leading on all these men and deserved so much heartache! Gray wanted to defend her, to protect her, to hold her and comfort away all of her sadness. She might try hiding it, she might smile, play the flirt, distract herself with many new boyfriends, but he had seen how hurt Lucy looked when she thought no one was watching.

"Erza has a mission planned for tomorrow," he mentioned casually. "When we get back, how about I treat you somewhere?"

Her face brightened up, and her smile made Gray feel immense relief. "Sounds fun!"

Then she rushed off to her house with a bounce in her step. This was going to work so perfectly! She would not rush into it, not like she did with Laxus, and she felt she would not have to worry about pressuring Gray. On the contrary, she could keep him strung along at her leisure. With any luck, she could get both Gray and Natsu jealous, maybe even have them fight over her.

_Yes, a fight! A fight over me! All those people who said I'd never make good wife material, all those people in the guild who laughed at me for using my sex appeal, they'll see! Oh, how utterly devastated and humiliated Natsu will be when I pick Gray, his eternal rival, over him in front of the whole guild!_

It made her chuckle just thinking about the shock on the Dragon Slayer's face, the tears he would cry as he ran out of the guild with a broken heart, just like when he suddenly broke up with her and she had to run out of the guild hall so people would not see her sobbing. Then they would be even. Then he would be punished and learn that it was cruel to break a girl's heart and laugh about it. And who knows! Maybe after she got her revenge, she and Gray could truly have a fun time together. That would be the sweetest revenge of all!

Lucy hopped onto the low wall by the river, precariously walking one foot in front of the other as she sang a tune.

 _Say that you want me every day,_  
_That you want me every way,_  
_That you need me,_  
_Got me trippin' super psycho love._


	3. Confusing to the Core

Gray tried to focus on the mission. Really, he did. Erza led them like a captain, Natsu leaped forward with the eagerness of a berserker, which left Gray to keep an eye on Lucy. She had her Celestial Spirits and they fought amazingly well for her, plus her whip techniques were improving vastly.

God, she looked sexy cracking that whip! Gray smirked as he thought about how he wanted to see her in black leather, those spike-heeled boots he saw in her closet, that suggestive lingerie that shocked even Erza—and everyone knew Erza was a closet pervert—and have her crack the whip at him. If it was her, he would savor every bit of pain she could dole out. He would be her little slave, she the master, and he would beg her for more…

_Focus! Focus!_

Lucy had always been a bit cute, but since when had she become so goddamn sexy? Had she always looked this way and he just never noticed? Okay, so he had noticed. A lot! But after that kiss in the park, she was all he could think about. He kept staring at her from afar. Every time her eyes met his, his heart thumped faster, his chest burned, and the heat spread to his cheeks. His dreams were haunted by her voluptuous form, making him wake up to messed sheets.

"Gray, watch out!" Lucy shouted.

He had been looking back at her, worried about how she was handling the enemies, and had completely missed seeing a shot by his own opponent. A green blast of magic was already hurtling toward him. Gray cursed as he realized he had no time to dodge. Would a shield form fast enough? No time to think!

"Ice-Make…"

No! Not fast enough! His body tensed, realizing he was about to get blasted.

Just as he felt the edges of the blast, fire rushed past his face. He felt the flames singe his hair and stared at the breath of a dragon burning a mere inch from his nose. When the fire passed, the green blast was burned away and the opponent in front of him was a blackened lump of char groaning in pain. Then came a taunting voice.

"What's up with you, droopy-eyes?"

The ice wizard sneered at the gloating tone and glared at Natsu. "Bastard! You almost hit me with that."

The Dragon Slayer shrugged, still grinning widely. "Those long bangs of yours could use a trim." Then Natsu walked right up to him and glared in a challenge. "Your fighting sucks today. Feeling a little … impotent?"

Gray's knuckles cracked as his fist tightened. The anger in his face delighted Natsu. Instead of pushing the ice wizard into one of their usual fights, the Dragon Slayer turned around and walked to where Erza had rounded up the rest of the enemies.

"You need to keep on your toes, stripper," he shouted back loudly. "Stop being a pervert staring at Lucy's boobs and try focusing on your opponent instead. Lucy's strong. She can handle herself without you."

"Aww, thanks, Natsu," Lucy smiled.

"It's just the truth," he told her amiably. "You've improved a lot, Lucy."

"Aye!" Happy agreed. "Lucy doesn't yell _kyaa kyaa_ like she used to."

Lucy glared at the Exceed. "When did I ever yell _kyaa_ like that, you stupid cat?"

Erza loomed up behind her. "Lucy!"

" _Kyaaaa!_ " she shouted in surprise.

"Like that," Happy giggled.

Erza looked disapproving. "Happy just complimented you. Don't insult him."

"Yeah, don't insult me!" Happy scolded.

"S-sorry, Happy," Lucy muttered.

Happy folded his arms. "I'll forgive you if you buy me a fish."

They headed back to town. Gray followed far behind, watching over the others. Erza handled a horse and cart that carried away the enemies to be locked up. Happy flew overhead. Lucy and Natsu were walking along the side of the cart, talking and laughing together just like old times. Gray stared at them hard. Every time Natsu put his hand on Lucy's arm, Gray felt his heart freeze a little. He wanted Lucy to push him away and yell at him to stop being so damn friendly. Gray wanted to shove the Dragon Slayer aside and warn him not to be so casual with touching Lucy.

Natsu suddenly laughed at some comment the celestial summoner made. "Haha! Lucy, you're so funny." He threw his arm around her and yanked her close, almost pulling her off her feet. "That's what I like about you, Lucy."

Gray's fists tightened. However, he could say nothing. The team was acting just like they used to. Having Natsu and Lucy like this was reminiscent, and he told himself it was probably healthy for their friendship to go back to how it used to be. If he warned either of them, they might get too self-conscious, and then things would be awkward again. Although Gray hated it, he told himself it was best to let Natsu and Lucy work out their issues.

After dropping off the perpetrators, Lucy cheerfully suggested that they stop at a ryokan, and Erza agreed. Natsu raced out to be first in the onsen with Happy flying right after him, cheering him on. Erza dressed in the yukata the inn provided and headed to the main dining hall to eat some cake before dinner. Gray really did not feel like soaking in the hot springs—hot water just wasn't fun for him—so he hung out in the room, sitting on the balcony and enjoying a cigarette. He had not smoked in a while, but he was feeling stressed trying to sort out his feelings.

_I just pushed myself onto Lucy before. She probably doesn't feel that way about me. Besides, she and Loke just broke up. It's too soon. But … but what if I hesitate again and she gets back together with that flame-brain?_

Gray let out a long stream of smoke and watched it float away into the early evening sky.

_I really don't want her to go through that again. He'd just use her and discard her when he's no longer interested. That idiot has the attention span of a five-year-old. Lucy deserves someone with a sense of loyalty, someone who knows how to treat a lady, not just a fuck-buddy. And what the fuck is taking her so long in the bathroom? Constipation again?_

"Gray," Lucy called just then. "I … sheesh, this is embarrassing…"

The bathroom door opened and Lucy slowly stepped out with her yukata barely even wrapped around. The cigarette dropped from Gray's loose mouth, fell onto his leg, and burned. He cried out, brushed it off, and crushed it out with his foot. Lucy giggled softly at the comical reaction.

"I hurt my arm in the fight and can't hold the yukata in place while tying it at the same time. Can you help me out a little?"

"I … um…" His cheeks burned hot as he came forward. "Okay, just … just tell me what you need."

The smile she gave him was devious and made Gray's throat go dry. "If you can hold the robe together, I can probably tie it. I don't want you to accidentally see, so come around behind."

He stood behind her and also looked aside to fight the temptation to look while Lucy tried to adjust the yukata around her massive breasts.

"Okay, it's in place. Now hold it."

He stretched around her body and meant to grab the edges of the robe, but his hands took hold of her breasts instead.

_Whoa, soft!_

He let go with a jolt, yanking the cloth with him, and the robe came completely undone.

"Gray!" she shouted, trying to reach the edges to keep them together discreetly. Lucy suddenly jolted in a stab of pain. "Oww! My arm."

"I'm sorry," he cried out.

Just then, the yukata came off her shoulders and fell to the ground in a rumpled pile around her thin ankles. Gray stared in absolute shock to see that Lucy was wearing nothing under the robe.

"L-Lucy!" he cried out in astonishment. His eyes dropped down along her bare shoulders, her slim back, over wide hips, and down to two round, full, pale globes.

_My God, her ass is perfect!_

"Sheesh, and here I had hoped to wear such a cute yukata while staying at the ryokan," she sighed.

Lucy bent over to grab the robe. Gray coughed at how her soft butt cheeks popped out when she did that, and he got a view of her breasts hanging down like ripe fruits of sinful temptation as she leaned over. She hoisted the yukata back around her body and held it together in the front. When she turned around, she saw Gray's face had gone completely red, and a tiny bit of blood was coming from his nose. The gawking expression made her want to chuckle. She totally had him reeled in!

"What's the matter, Gray?" she teased. "We have to see you naked all the time, so why are you staring at me like that?"

He jolted and looked back up at her face. "I … I wasn't…"

She reached up to his face. He leaned back a little in terror. Was she going to slap him? Or maybe hold him still and kiss him? Instead, she squeezed his cheeks together until his mouth puckered out like a fish.

"Cute little pervert," she teased flirtatiously. "Since you've seen everything already, how about you just help me from the front."

"I … I didn't see all of it," he muttered.

"Do you want to?" Lucy began to open the robe again.

"No!" he shouted, and she pouted a little. "I mean … I…" He looked away petulantly. There was no way to recover this conversation. "You hold it in place, I'll tie it."

Lucy chuckled softly and pulled the yukata into its proper place. Gray tied it well, maybe even a little too tightly to make sure it did not come apart again, then he turned out of the room in a rush.

"Where are you heading?" she asked, following close behind.

"The bar," he grumbled. "I need a drink."

"Ooh, sounds good. Maybe they have those fruit drinks with the little umbrellas."

He had to laugh at that. It was such a "Lucy" drink.

Their team met for dinner. Gray already had three strong drinks down him and was nursing one of the fruit drinks Lucy mentioned, although he had asked for a triple shot of rum to buzz away any last frustrations.

It didn't work!

Lucy sat beside Natsu and flirted with him all through dinner. Or at least, Gray saw it as flirting. Erza said nothing about it, yet Natsu had begun to act like Lucy was his again. Lucy was flushed from alcohol and laughed loudly at Natsu and Happy's antics, the same dumb things that normally would have her shouting in anger. She leaned into him more than once and slapped his arm when he teased that she laughed like Cana after her fifth barrel.

Gray rubbed out a headache and look away from their playfulness. The vision from earlier, Lucy's naked body bending over to pick up the yukata, haunted him. Had she been flirting? Lucy normally would have freaked out and ran to hide, not leaned over right in front of him like that. So if she was flirting, why was she now hanging onto Natsu? It completely confused him, he hated how she was acting, yet her provocativeness had worked its charm. When he looked at her, he could see the cleavage and knew she wore nothing underneath. Knowing that aroused him uncomfortably.

"Hey Lucy," Happy said. "Your cheeks are the same color as Natsu's hair."

"Hmm," she smiled drunkenly. "You mean we match?" She grabbed Natsu's head and yanked it down so that his hair was right against her flushed face and his nose was down near her chest. "Is it really the same, Happy?"

"Aye!" the Exceed nodded. "You two match perfectly."

"We already knew that," Natsu smiled, and his eyes slid over to the Ice-Make wizard. "Isn't that right, Gray?" he asked poignantly. "Lucy and I are a perfect match."

Gray ground his teeth. "Bastard," he growled.

This time even Erza caught what the Dragon Slayer said. "Natsu, don't take advantage of Lucy while she's drunk."

Lucy huffed. "I ain't drunk!" The hiccup at the end proved otherwise.

"I'm not doing anything," Natsu insisted with an innocent shrug. "She's the one who grabbed me. It's just lowering her inhibitions is all, loosening her up…" He gave another hard gaze at Gray. "…letting her do what she secretly desires."

Gray rose quickly and left the table with a low growl.

Erza rubbed out a headache. "Natsu, that was totally uncalled for."

"Sorry, Erza. Did I say something bad?" He simpered quietly.

The Titania glared at him. "I'm serious, Natsu. Stop it before I beat the pink out of your hair!"

His face immediately straightened up. "Aye, sir," he said obediently.

Lucy watched Gray stomp off, and the frustration in his face made her chuckle to herself. Thanks to Gray, Natsu was warming back up to her. These little actions of jealousy were exactly what she was aiming for.

Happy tilted his head and frowned. "Your face is a different color now, Lucy. You look somehow darker."

"It's the lighting," she said distractedly. "I'll go talk to Gray."

"Leave him alone," Natsu insisted, looking angry now.

"I'm worried for him," she said, smiling to see the hardness in his eyes. "Gray's special to me too, you know." Then she ran off after the fleeing ice wizard.

Natsu's eyes narrowed as he watched her go. "Gray," he sneered too soft for them to hear.

Happy watched him with a worried expression. "Now Natsu looks as dark as Lucy. I liked it better when you two matched pink, not dark."

* * *

Lucy found Gray in the hallway heading back toward their room. The drinks she had were definitely enough to make the room spin, but not so bad as she had been acting at the dinner table. She slowed down at seeing Gray, straightened her hair, and walked forward slowly, one foot in front of the other as she fought the alcohol's effects.

"Aren't you the moody one!" she teased. "Natsu doesn't like me, you know. He broke up with me."

"Well, he's sure acting like he does," Gray muttered. "You're not helping."

"Oh?" she asked innocently. "Am I doing something bad?"

He fell silent as two people walked through the hall, and they both waited until the couple were in their room. Then he lashed out at Lucy in anger. "Why'd you have to act like that? You're flirting with me, then you're flirting with Natsu. How exactly do you feel about him?" he shouted, then calmed down a little. "And how do you feel for me?"

She huffed and looked away. "I'm not flirting with anyone. Are you going to accuse me of flirting with Happy just because I bought him a fish? Or maybe you'll accuse me of flirting with Erza just because we're sharing a room." She sauntered up to him close enough so her breasts brushed up against him. "Next thing you know, Natsu will accuse me of flirting with you just because I came here to talk to you. It's the same as the rumors in the guild. People accuse the cute blonde of anything they feel like."

Gray's eyes narrowed as he stared down at her. Of course he noticed her soft breasts with how she squeezed her arms together to push them out. "You're up to something. I refuse to think you're this slutty by nature."

She backed off in shock. "Slutty? How dare you! I'd slap you if you weren't my friend."

"And I'd knock some sense into you if you weren't mine," he warned. "Look, Lucy…"

He paused, tried to collect his feelings, and looked down at her. He could hardly help it. His hand reached out and lightly stroked her cheek. Her skin was so soft, and the alcohol she had been drinking all night warmed her cheeks up. She leaned into the touch, and her smiling face melted his icy heart.

"If you want to be with me, I'm up to that," he assured her, letting his fingers stroke back to her neck. "I'd treat you well, not at all like those other guys. No one will have a reason to spread bad rumors about you. If they did, I'd kick the crap out of them."

"Oh Gray," she chuckled, snuggling her cheek into the palm of his hand.

"But," he warned directly, "I'm not going to be pitted against Natsu."

Lucy's eyes opened quickly at that. Had she made it too obvious? Why was he firm about this issue? Gray was always fighting with Natsu, so why was he on his side now, after everything she set up? His icy gaze thrilled her and chilled her.

Gray saw the momentary fear in Lucy's eyes. As he had guessed, she was up to something. What Mira said about Lucy treating her boyfriends like pets _couldn't_ be true … right? It pained him to think Lucy was even capable of toying with his emotions. Just wondering if that was what she had planned made him furious.

"If that's what you want, you can forget it," he yelled, swishing his hand out in rejection. "I hate that flame-brain, but he's our teammate. You can't lead us both on like this. It isn't fair to either of us. Pick one guy and stick to him. Maybe…" His hand fisted up, and he looked aside in regret. "Maybe kissing you was a bad idea. Our team was almost destroyed last time. The same thing will happen if we get together."

She glared at him. "We're not even dating and yet you're dumping me?" she said softly, barely holding back fury.

"I'm saving us both," he explained, although his heart hurt to say that. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I like you … a lot," he muttered, embarrassed to confess that. "However, our friendship and the bond we have within this team means a lot to me. Sort out your issue with Natsu first. Then we'll talk."

She stared at him for a silent moment, her brown eyes simmering in emotions she hid deep in her heart, too deep for Gray to read them clearly. Then Lucy turned away sharply and ran off. Gray watched her go with a weary sigh. Slowly, the tension in his shoulders and arms loosened, and a tight fist he did not know he had been making dropped with a weary shudder.

"Sorry, Lucy," he muttered to himself. "A relationship would complicate everything. I know you want it, but … maybe it's too soon. Maybe you need time. Please … please don't hate me." Then Gray walked off to their room. He threw off his clothes, curled down into his bed, slammed his eyes shut, and hoped he could at least pretend to be asleep before the rest of them came into the hotel room.


	4. Something Substantial With Me

Gray felt something warm in his mind, then a soft touch. He opened his eyes to blue sky and Lucy looking down on him. Her blonde hair framed her peachy face, and the tips tickled his cheeks. Her eyes were gentle and squinted with a smile. Her whole body seemed to blur in the glare of the sun, until all he could really point out were her eyes and red lips.

"Sleepyhead," she teased softly. Then she pulled away and was gone.

Gray stood and looked around in confusion. He was in a grassy field dotted with tiny indigo flowers. In the distance shimmered a dark lake rippling with a summer breeze. In the middle of the floral field stood a solitary, dark green willow tree.

Gray walked toward the tree and saw Lucy lying in the veiling shade, her knees up, seemingly asleep. From where he stood, he could clearly see her red underwear. He felt like teasing her, but he decided just to warn her about the revealing position. He brushed aside the drooping willow branches and entered her little domain. The shade within felt refreshingly cold compared to the burning summer sun. Lucy's eyes opened slowly, and she smiled at seeing him.

"You're wearing your coat, Gray."

He looked down and realized she was right. He was still fully dressed in a black turtleneck and white lengthy coat.

"Take it off," she ordered in a sultry tone.

Gray hardly needed an order to strip. He threw aside the clothes, all of them, until he stood stark naked in front of her. He watched her eyes rove over his skin until she smiled with lusty approval. Then Gray knelt beside her.

"Lucy…" It seemed foolish to warn her about her underwear showing now. They were safe in the shade of this tree, away from all other eyes.

Lucy reached up and stroked his face. "Kiss me, Gray."

The urge was so strong, he obeyed without thinking about it. To hell with Natsu and Loke and all the others! Lucy was touching _him_ now. She was kissing _him_. When he began to unbutton her blouse, she helped him to slide it off.

Lucy reached down and took hold of his stiff shaft. Gray moaned at her touch. His lips suckled her breasts while his fingers sought out her warm moistness between her legs, thrusting inside and listening to her gasps. She was so soft inside and scorching hot compared to his icy fingers. He felt a strange sense of possessiveness. Gray suddenly wanted to claim her thoroughly. He wanted to possess every part of her, not just outside … but _inside!_

"Gray," she moaned hotly into his ear. "I want you."

The ice wizard swallowed hard. He hated to admit it to anyone, but hearing a woman say that they wanted him always turned him on. He needed her desperately now. He had felt this deep desire for a while, and now she was here under him, moaning that she wanted him. It was a dream come true.

"Take me, Gray," Lucy pleaded, rolling her hips up for him in offering.

He caressed the smoothness of her rump, around the thighs, and spread apart the fuzzy lips below. He gazed at the forbidden entrance that had mystified men for ages. That possessive desire surged in him, making his cock dance like a child waiting for recess and a chance to run wild on the playground. Now he was staring at his "playground," and Gray felt like he had never seen anything so amazing in his life.

"I love you, Lucy," he whispered as he slowly lowered himself onto her to slide within.

"Nnnngh … yes," Lucy groaned.

Gray felt how tight she was, and he pressed harder to break in. He looked down at where his flared head was trying to stab inside that small hole. It was a miracle such a thing could fit inside a woman, but for some reason he felt resistance. There was no way she was a virgin. Happy had asked Erza to explain a scene he saw between Natsu and Lucy, and his innocent question and description left the whole guild either beet red or nosebleeding. Determined, Gray lined himself up precisely and gave a sharp thrust.

Lucy screamed and scratched her nails into his back. "Oh God, you're so huge! It's … it's spreading me wide. It's filling me so much it hurts."

"Should I stop?" he asked with a smirk.

"No! Oh God, don't pull out. More!"

Gray began to rock slowly, thrusting into her more and more, slowly increasing in speed. He watched Lucy's breasts bounce at each snapping lurch. They were hypnotic, and he grabbed hold of them. Lucy yowled like a cat in heat.

"Aaaaah, Gray!"

Suddenly, there was a shout by the lake. "Gray-sama, noooo!" came Juvia's shriek of protest.

Gray looked back in shock. Had someone actually been there this whole time? He felt ashamed, and seeing the tears in Juvia's eyes hurt him. Lucy glared at the interruption, pulled out a golden key, aimed, and shot out a jet of glowing spirit energy. It struck Juvia, and the rain woman burst into a rainbow of wet droplets.

Gray felt stunned and angry. "What the hell was that?" he screamed.

Lucy gazed up at him with a shadow behind her eyes. "She was in the way. I don't want you going back to a girl like that."

Although Gray knew he should feel horrified, all he wanted was to thrust into Lucy. He felt himself sweating and panting heavily with raspy grunts whenever she squeezed her inner muscles around him.

"Oh Gray … oh God … more. Give it to me harder!"

Then another voice entered the scene. "What the hell!" Gray saw the pink hair at the same time that Natsu rounded the trunk of the willow tree and stared down at them. "What do you think you're doing to _my_ Lucy?" the Dragon Slayer asked with flames flickering on his skin.

"Gray, more!" Lucy begged. "I'm almost there."

"But Natsu…" he began to protest.

"Don't stop!"

Natsu knelt beside them and smiled. "Please her or leave her, Gray." He grasped Lucy's breasts and rolled the nipples between his fingers. "I at least know how to make her feel good. I was her first, after all. Isn't that right, Lucy?"

"Natsu!" Lucy whimpered.

Gray was furious now. "Don't say his name."

He slammed harder into Lucy, fucking her rougher than he had ever made love to a girl. Lucy screamed as her back arched high and her nails clawed desperately at him. Gray felt himself about to lose control. Still Natsu squatted beside them, watching Lucy, playing with her, chuckling darkly as Lucy began to shudder.

All around them, the sky darkened. Gray sensed the chill in the air as the weather went rough. The wind blew harder, and the lake began to thrash at the coming storm. Soon hail began to fall, large icy balls that struck and crushed the indigo flowers until the color bled and blended with the smattering ice, painting the land with a murky shade of blue.

Pale green eyes turned to the ice blue ones as the Dragon Slayer goaded on the ice wizard. "You're not enough for a girl like Lucy."

"Natsuuu!" Lucy shrieked as she tightened around Gray's shaft.

"No!" Gray yelled just as he began to cum. "Don't … don't say his name!" As the ice wizard moaned in a powerful orgasm, the hail around him fell harder, deafening, although the willow shielded them like an over-sized umbrella.

"Natsu!" Lucy squealed.

"She wants me," the Dragon Slayer laughed victoriously.

"Shut up! Shut up!" Gray roared lividly. "Don't say his name while I'm fucking you."

Gray covered his hands over Lucy's howling mouth, smothering her cries. When he thought he heard her scream Natsu's name again, he pressed harder on her mouth, completely blocking her ability to make a single sound, although his technique was excessively rough.

"You better stop it, droopy-eyes," Natsu said casually. "You're gonna snap her neck."

Still Gray practically strangled her with his bare hands. "I won't let him beat me! Not with you," Gray screamed at Lucy, ignoring her huge, frightened eyes. "I won't allow it! I won't! I won't…"

* * *

Gray jolted up in bed feeling sweaty, furious, and dirty…

Very dirty.

He looked down at his moist, messed sheets and cursed. "Damn. Third time this week," he muttered.

He glanced around in somnolent confusion and slowly realized he was still in the ryokan. He heard Natsu's snoring, Happy's fish-themed mutters, and gentle breathing from Erza. Lucy was not around. Her bed was disturbed, so he guessed she got up for a midnight snack. He cleaned up as well as he could and wrapped a yukata around him. Then Gray left the room with his messy bedding rolled into a ball and dumped the sticky sheets in a hamper far down the hall so no one would be suspicious. He had to search a bit before he found a maid on night duty and asked her for new bedding. The way she smirked at him, he guessed he was not the first guest to have a wet dream and want to discreetly hide the evidence.

Despite it being the middle of the night, he decided for a better cleaning job in the bathhouse, followed by a soak in the onsen to melt away the memories of the erotic dream.

"What was up with that anyway?" he wondered aloud as he cleaned in a totally empty bathing area. "Willow tree, a lake, a hailstorm, Natsu disturbing us like that. I wonder if there's some weird symbolic interpretation to it all … besides the fact that I want to kill that flame-brain at the mere thought of him touching Lucy. So then why did I nearly strangle Lucy? And why did Juvia show up in my dream? Gah! It's just a dream." He dumped a bucket of cold water over his head to wash away the suds and clear his mind. "I need to give Lucy time. I can keep cool for a few weeks. Give her time, let her sort out her feelings, then we'll see. Yeah, that's the best thing to do. That's what a gentleman would do, right? And who the hell am I talking to? Damn, stupid dream has me all out of whack. A soak, then I'll try to sleep more."

He stepped out into the hot springs soaking area. It was dark with only a few paper lanterns to give a muted bruised-orange light. He dropped his towel to the side and slid right into the water. The pool was large, used for mixed bathing, and it had artificial rocks to divide sections in case people wanted a bit of privacy. From where he was, he could not see the end of the pool, and the utaseyu that streamed down into the pool like little waterfalls almost drowned out the chirping of frogs. At night, the heat from the onsen was not so bad, and Gray managed to relax a bit.

"Just a crazy dream," he sighed.

"You had one, too?"

Gray jolted, and water splashed from the sudden movement. From behind a rock cropping, a shadow moved. It was too dark to see clearly, but the voice was unmistakable.

"Lucy?" he asked in shock. "Wh-what are you doing in here at this time of night? It isn't safe for women."

"Oh please, I can take care of myself," she sighed in frustration.

Slowly, she moved forward through the murky water. Gray watched as the steam moved aside, unveiling her curvaceous body. Only the area below her waist was covered by the hot spring. Everything above was slowly being revealed as she stepped into the lantern light. Under the water, Gray felt himself getting harder despite his recent wet dream. He hissed at how the heated water undulated with Lucy's slow steps, waving over his sensitive skin.

"I had a bad dream and woke up to my shoulder throbbing. I figured I should soak a little more before we have to leave in the morning. And you?"

"Ah … um … yeah, a weird dream as well. Maybe this hot spring is haunted by a dream yokai or something."

"Ehh? That would be really scary, wouldn't it?" Lucy giggled as she came even closer. Gray could now see her fully, even the little bit of bush under the clear yet dark water. "Perhaps you should protect me from malevolent spirits," she smirked coyly.

"I thought you said you can take care of yourself."

"Against perverts, yes. Against yokai and oni…" She grabbed hold of his forearm. "Wouldn't a normal girl be scared about such things?"

"You're hardly normal," Gray chuckled.

"Oh yeah?" she simpered, and Lucy leaned right up against him until her breasts pressed against his taut pectorals. "Then what am I?"

Gray's gaze softened as he became enchanted by the softness of her body. "Exceptionally beautiful," he answered in a soft, deep voice.

Lucy suddenly pulled back and blinked mutely. She had not expected an answer like that. She just wanted to toy with Gray a bit, yet this surprising romantic side made her feel warm inside. Such an ironic reaction for an ice wizard!

Gray looked aside, cursing himself for saying something that intimate. "I'm sorry. You still need to work out your issues. This is totally unreasonable of me. Just forget it."

He began to turn away when Lucy grabbed around his waist and held him tightly, hooking her hands together right at his belly button.

"You call a girl beautiful and then order her to forget it? You're really cruel, Gray."

His jaw clenched. "You're not making this easy," he growled.

"Oh?" she asked playfully. "Am I making it … _hard_?" Her hand drifted down from his waist and took hold of his erect cock. Gray shivered involuntarily. His mind temporarily went blank at the softness of her hand rubbing from the flared tip and squeezing as she pressed down the whole length. "Look at that. It seems I'm right. It's _very_ hard!"

The surge of lascivious desires faded reluctantly, and Gray regained a bit of rationality. Her actions, so blatantly wanton and impulsive, suddenly angered him. He swung his arms out, forcing away Lucy's embrace, and glared back at her. "Why you…!"

She laughed wildly and swam backwards out of the way of his tense fists, giggling into the night at seeing the tension in his sneering face. It was simply too cute, too perfect, precisely what she was aiming for.

Gray shouted at her, "I'm trying to be respectful of you, but you're acting like a twenty Jewel whore."

"Is that how cheap you like them, Gray?" she teased.

"I'm serious, stop it!" he shouted.

"Better be quiet. People are sleeping, you know," she taunted.

Gray clenched his teeth. "What the hell are you playing at, Lucy?"

"Wanna know?" She backstroked a bit more, moving into the shadows of the pool. "Come follow me and I'll tell you a secret."

He scoffed and looked away. All she was doing was toying with him. "I'm heading back."

"Oh, come on," she pouted. She quickly reversed her swimming and came back over to him. "Don't you want to know my grand scheme?"

"If it involves toying with me like you did with Laxus, Gajeel, and Loke, I'm not interested."

"Do you think I'm not serious?" she asked with a poker face.

"How could you be when you and Loke just broke up?"

"Oh please!" she scoffed, waving that off. "Five days dating that guy isn't long enough to make my heart race. However…" Her hands slithered over his chest. "…five minutes with you is plenty of time."

Lucy examined Gray's face. By the tightness around his jaws, the pinch between his eyebrows, and the way his eyes dilated as he gazed down at her, she could see that he desperately wanted her. She pressed her body a little closer, and her lower belly felt the stiff rod under the onsen's waterline. Gray's sense of propriety was holding him back, but he looked like a puppy ordered to _stay_ while a piece of bacon hung right in front of his nose. She easily could have tipped his moral scales, but then she might chance losing him completely. She needed a new strategy fast. Lowering her eyes coquettishly, Lucy pulled back.

"You pass," she declared softly.

Gray blinked in confusion. Pass? "What the hell?"

"It's mean of me, I know," she explained with faux-meekness, "but I had to test you. After what happened with those other guys, I needed to know you weren't simply after my body. This was all a test, and you pass." She gave him a sunny smile. "I'm glad. I was worried for a moment there."

"You … you were … acting?" he asked in confusion.

"You don't really think I'm that slutty, do you?"

"No!" he shouted. His voice cracked under the tension in his groin, and he coughed it down. "No, of course not." He laughed and wiped away some sweat from his brow. "Wow, you really worried me there, Lucy." Still, something did not add up. "So if this was testing me, then why were you flirting with Natsu?"

"Ugh!" she groaned. "I was drunk. I probably reasoned it was just being friendly, but it came across as flirtatious. That's what my bad dreams were about, too. I'm really sorry about that. No more fruity alcoholic drinks for me."

Gray laughed out his worries. "That's a relief. But really, you should explain it to Natsu. I think he got the wrong idea."

"Later," she said, and Lucy leaned her head against his chest. "I'm scared of Natsu sometimes. What if he gets jealous?" Her fingers lazily traced his black guild mark. "If he tried anything, would you fight him for me?"

Gray stroked down her blonde hair and recalled that horrific dream of his. "If he dares to touch you, I'll kill that fucking flame-brain!"

A mischievous smile raised onto Lucy's face, but she kept her head down on his chest, listening to his heart beating. "I like you a lot, Gray. Do you think we could be together? Or do you still think it's too soon?"

He took her chin and tilted it up. This time, he felt no shame in looking over her entire body. After all, she was indeed exceptionally beautiful. Then Gray slowly leaned in and gave her a deep, passionate kiss. Lucy moaned at how the ice wizard could kiss so hotly while still sending shivers down her spine. He pulled back and looked down into her chocolaty eyes.

"If you want a real relationship, something substantial with me, then we can definitely be together, Lucy," he whispered gently, caressing her bare shoulders. "Let's discuss it more when we get back home. For now, turn around. I'll massage your shoulder. Then we should go to bed. We still have to get up early, and Erza doesn't take any excuses."

After a massage, more kisses, and then drying off, they returned to their room. Gray gave Lucy a quiet goodnight kiss in the dark, and he climbed into his futon. Although the girls slept on the other side of the room, Gray's eyes lingered on Lucy, and hers gleamed back in the silvery moonlight. They smiled, but eventually both fell back into much-needed sleep.

On another futon, narrow eyes opened, and Natsu glared at the two of them. He had smelled when Gray had his wet dream, his nose accosted by the unmistakable odor of semen, and it did not take a genius to guess who Gray must have been dreaming about. He had seen Gray sneak out, and Natsu knew he was gone far too long for just a normal bath and soak. He now witnessed the kiss the two shared, even though they were quiet to make sure their lips did not make a smacking noise.

Despite their silence and sneaking, Natsu had been watching every movement, every touch, every unspoken word that formed on their lips as they silently told each other goodnight. He had watched it all quietly, letting the burning jealousy simmer in his heart until the acidic heat grew so painful, it made him want to scream and weep.

"She's mine, you exhibitionist bastard," the Dragon Slayer growled so softly, no one could hear him over the chirping of crickets and croaks of night frogs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Rhov's Lesson In Dream Interpretation_
> 
> _Deciphering dreams is tricky. Each person has a unique world-view, thus symbolism varies from culture to culture and person to person. Some items and colors are generally recognized as being symbolic of certain emotions, but the interpretation can vary drastically for a single person. For instance, white represents purity and perfection in Western cultures, yet symbolizes death in Eastern cultures. To see a puppy in your dream symbolizes your carefree nature and refers to a blossoming friendship...unless you have a fear of dogs or recently lost a beloved pet. Dreams are private glances into our psyche, and only we can pick what the right symbolism is._
> 
> _Here are some symbols in Gray's dream:_
> 
> _**Indigo flowers** – Indigo symbolizes deceit. Wildflowers mean we need less complication in our life._
> 
> _**A dark, windy lake** – Lakes in dreams represent our inner emotional stability. A clear, calm lake reflects the inner calm we are feeling. A dark and disturbed lake shows inner turmoil._
> 
> _**Red panties** – Red is the color of danger, violence, blood, shame, rejection, sexual impulses and urges. Panties symbolize our ideas about sexuality. To dream about red panties represents a negative, excessive, or imbalanced desire. You may be aware of your partner's desires and preparing to exploit them to fulfill your own wants._
> 
> _**Dark green willow tree** – Dark green symbolizes immorality, cheating, deceit, selfishness, greed, a preoccupation with personal pleasure, not wanting to share with others, and fear of losing to another person. Willows represent a sense of magic, mystery, or can mean death, mourning, or feeling we are losing someone or something. They foretell the coming of sadness._
> 
> _**Key** – Keys often have sexual connotations in dreams and have many interpretations depending on the use of the key and its condition. They can represent intercourse, infidelity, or worries about impotence._
> 
> _**Hail falling upon a field of flowers** – This sort of dream is a warning that you have fallen into sin, and because of your sin you will go through many hardships._
> 
> _**Strangling** – To strangle someone in your dream shows you feel hostile about someone, or are repressing how to express your inner feelings._
> 
> _**Sex dreams** are highly symbolic and vastly open for interpretation. To dream about sex may refer to the integration and merging of contrasting aspects of yourself, representing psychological completion...or it may simply mean you want to bang the person hard!_


	5. I Know You Want It

Lucy walked along the edge of the river, her arms outstretched to keep her balance, feeling happy to be home with her rent soundly paid and a little money left over. Her birthday was coming up, so she planned to splurge on herself. She had just spent the afternoon gazing at dresses, purses, shoes, anything on display in the windows of Magnolia's boutiques. Her spirits were high, and she hummed a song she heard a street musician playing in the town.

 _Say that you want me every day,_  
_That you want me every way,_  
_That you need me...*_

"Lucy!"

She froze mid-step, almost losing her balance, and looked up quickly to see the origin of the shout. Gray was a few steps ahead of her, waiting by her apartment with his arms folded over his chest and a gleam in his eyes nearly curtained by his lanky bangs.

"Gray!" she cried out in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Then she smirked a little. "I'm surprised you didn't just let yourself in like you normally do."

He stayed where he was, waiting for her with that piercing stare. Lucy hopped off the low river wall and walked up to him, letting her body sway a little with each step. She saw his eyes drop, watching her hips and thighs, and she smiled privately at just how ensnared she had him. If she could truly capture Gray's heart, this would definitely make Natsu jealous. More than anything, she wanted the Dragon Slayer to suffer for casting her aside so thoughtlessly.

"Lucy," Gray said softer, then he glanced beyond her, watching the street traffic. She waited, still smiling. If he was nervous about people overhearing him, then what he had to say must be truly good. As soon as Strawberry Street had a lull in pedestrians, he went on. "I was trying to keep things slow, I didn't want you to think I'm after you just for your body, because really, I'm not. You're much more than merely beautiful."

That made Lucy blush a little. "Much more, huh? I'm not just boobs and a body?"

"Any woman could have good looks," he stated. "You're not just another pretty face. I wanted you to realize that first but … but dammit, you're too tempting."

He said it in a sneer, as if angry with her, yet she saw his eyes roaming her body, remembering how she looked when her yukata fell off, recalling how her wet skin gleamed in the hot springs, and yearning to see that bare body again. Lucy shifted her hips just slightly, and she watched his eyes follow their movement.

"I can't trust myself," he admitted softly, "so I want you to take the relationship at whatever pace you want. Whatever you're ready for…" His eyes were starving and dangerous as they gazed straight into her face. "…I'm more than willing to give it to you."

Jackpot! She grinned, and with just a nod of her head, Lucy invited him inside.

She walked through the front entrance and went up the main staircase to her room in the quaint rental home. As she walked and Gray followed her, she thought about how she should go about with this seduction. Should she change into something provocative? No, that might be too much. Perhaps she could light a romantic fire, and they could sit on the couch together until the tenderness of the moment led to more than just firelight kisses. No, Gray hated the heat, and it was still daylight in summer, so no need for a fire.

She was still plotting out her actions when she unlocked her door and walked in, instantly dropping her purse to the side and unlacing her boots. Gray also slipped his shoes off, but his eyes were utterly focused on Lucy. When she shut the door behind them, Gray reached over, covering her hand and latching the lock quickly. Lucy looked up in surprise by the swift action only to find hungry eyes on her. For a brief instant, she felt like he had locked her in, trapping her like a caged animal. Her heart fluttered, instinctively sensing she should flee before getting captured. Then slowly, forcefully, she calmed herself.

 _She_ was going to capture _him_ , after all! That was her plan all along.

"Do you want some tea?" she asked, keeping her voice level.

Gray's steel-blue eyes roamed over her face, caressing her with just a gaze. Then his hand went up and stroked her cheek softly. "The only thing I need to drink…" His hand slid down to her chin while his finger moved delicately over her lips, "…is what comes from here."

Slowly, he leaned over and kissed her. Lucy felt a little smug that he was showing his desires instantly with no need for seduction. Her work earlier during the mission and in the ryokan worked perfectly. Now it was just a matter of gaining control over him … and Lucy was good at that. Natsu, Laxus, Gajeel, Loke: all of them had turned to putty in her hands, overwhelmed by her body, becoming enslaved through the weakness of their own male lust.

"You're so beautiful," Gray whispered as his lips ghosted over her cheek and up to her ear. His other hand caressed her neck, drifting from ear to collar, giving Lucy an involuntary shiver. "I've always wanted you, Lucy," he breathed softly, making the tiny hairs on the back of her neck prickle. Lucy heard a shuddering exhale as Gray's lips brushed ever so lightly over her ear. "Is it bad that I get so jealous when I see you with other guys? It's rather psychotic, isn't it? To love you this much … to want you as my own," he rasped hotly as his lips tugged on her earlobe. "To want you every day, needing you so badly, it hurts! It really does pain me to see you with other men, Lucy. It's agonizing! What a psycho love!" he exclaimed with a tense laugh. "But … God, I want you."

His words shivered for a moment, and she heard his breath hitch as he tried to regain control. Lucy's mind went blank. Her previous boyfriends had whispered things into her ear, praising her body, declaring their lust. However, Gray's words felt more like a sinful confession, something unholy that he was laying bare before her. It was like being told the dirtiest secret, and that trust he was bestowing upon her, confessing his lecherous desires, made Lucy tremble a little.

As Gray held her closer, she felt that he was immensely aroused already. His hips rolled against her, letting her feel how she was affecting him.

"This is what you do to me," he accused.

That dark sin was now her fault. Knowing she was the cause of his downfall thrilled her, and she moaned softly. His fingers glided down her skin, over her blouse, and to the hem that came just above the edge of her skirt, showing a tantalizing strip of bare skin right at her belly button. His fingers slid over that exposed part, tickling and making her burn up inside.

Still, he had barely kissed her. His mouth hovered right in front of her face, his breath slowing and growing heavy as he stared at her porcelain skin.

"You're too damn tempting, Lucy," he blamed her just before crashing his lips onto hers.

Lucy took that moment of weakness to gain control over him. She grabbed his shoulders and pushed, forcing him backwards. She guided Gray as he latched onto her mouth, refusing to give up her plump lips.

At last, his knees hit the edge of the bed, and she collapsed on top of him, straddling him and sitting right on top of that lump stiffening in his pants. He hissed softly as the pressure of her pushing right on that area hurt and felt good at the same time. His hands slid under the blouse, stroking her back, slowly creeping the shirt up. He felt her mouth open, inviting him, and Gray let his tongue venture inside, savoring her taste and feeling that electric connection of two tongues meeting together, twirling like a couple of dancers.

The wintermint taste of his mouth overpowered Lucy's tongue, tingling it like frost blasting through an opened door and into a hot kitchen. His touches were mere snowflakes fluttering over her skin, tingling with their cold touch, yet moving away before she could truly feel them. Only the melting feeling lingered, her heat making those ghostly touches mere memories.

She wanted to demand more, to get this over with so she could go to the guild and gloat to Natsu, show him with utter certainty that she was happy without him … to _hurt_ Natsu, as he had hurt her. That had been her original plan, but Gray was taking his time. Even his clothes were still on, and her shirt was only up to her ribs. He was obviously teasing her, yet she could not bring herself to tell him to stop.

He suddenly flipped her, and with the speed of his dexterous hands, her blouse was swept away in that single fluid move. Before her head could reach the pillow, his hand swept behind her back, a fast flick of fingers, and by the time her back hit the sheets, the bra was yanked away. He had totally undressed her from the waist up in less than two seconds.

"How do you do that?" she pouted.

Gray just smiled. "Talent."

Then his shirt also flew off, although she was used to seeing him do that. He hovered above her, his arm supporting his weight as he gazed down into her face. Gray looked surprisingly calm, satisfied, relaxed at the way this was turning into such a sensual moment. She frowned that he honestly looked pleased with himself and hoped he did not start acting cocky.

Then he leaned down, and the kisses started again. Lucy wrapped her arms around him, trying to pull him closer, urging him to take this to the next level. However, Gray resisted her tugging hands. He was not done tasting her skin. His lips traveled off her mouth, sucking and licking down her neck, making her shiver. Then he nipped on her collarbone, and Lucy yelped in surprise.

He teased her with kisses on the top side of her breasts, then moved below, where the heavy-duty bra left a pink mark from the underwire. He licked the underside, and Lucy gasped in shock at just how sensitive that area felt. Every other man had dived straight for her nipples, so she never realized the tenderness of the rest of her large breasts. Gray was awakening her body to completely new sensations.

Absentmindedly, her back arched, trying to force her nipples to reach his lips. Gray felt the movement and heard the soft whine that escaped Lucy's tight lips. With a smirk, he obliged her silent begging. Softly, with the flat of his tongue, he licked right over the tensed nipple, feeling that nub press against his taste buds.

Lucy had tried so hard to keep quiet so she could eventually regain dominance in this situation, but feeling Gray lick over her caused her to let out a wanton moan. Then his tongue sharpened, and the tightened tip lapped circles around her pink nipple, pressing into the buoyant flesh, making the entire pink area tense and wrinkle. Chilling his breath slightly, he blew over the moist, sensitive skin.

"Ahhh!" Lucy screamed, shocked at the iciness. She looked down in surprise, and the sly grin on Gray's face angered her for some reason.

He was _toying_ with her! Just when she thought she could manipulate any man with her feminine wiles, it was Gray who had her as a puppet in his hands.

He did not leave her cold and yearning for long. His entire mouth dived down, sucking on the taut nipple. Lucy arched again, and without a conscious thought she put her hand behind his head to yank on him so he would suck more. His fingers held her breast, shaping it just like he shaped his ice, forming it so he could latch on easier. Then he raised his head a little, pulling the teat upward between his lips. Lucy squirmed at the intense sensation, clenching her sheets as if she had to hold on before he lifted all of her up by just his mouth.

Then Gray let go, making the breast jump back down and wiggle. A small, gasping exhale shook out of Lucy's lungs. Before she could scold him for pulling so hard, Gray descended again to the other breast, licking it voraciously, sucking on the sweet skin hard enough to leave a love bruise, and then he bit it softly.

"Ow!" she cried out.

He let go and looked up. "Stop?"

"No, more," she said instantly, only a second later realizing how desperate her voice sounded.

She scolded herself as Gray sucked the bitten breast. She did not want to lose control; she wanted to be the one playing and toying with him. She needed to somehow take control of this situation, get Gray on his back, pleasure him until he begged for more.

Not like this! She was the one crying for more, and that defeated her plans.

Since she dated lots of men and they all ended in failure, she did not want to show Gray just how simple it was to excite her. She did not want him to think she was "easy" or a slut. Her mind was determined to keep strong, to make him really work for it, but her body was dying for his touch and acting on its own. No matter how she pursed her lips together to keep from moaning, or fisted her hand to keep from grasping his skin and yanking him closer on top of her; still, her body moved, twitched, and writhed on the bed while rebellious whimpers escaped.

Then his mouth moved up and latched onto her collarbone again. He lightly bit the skin, then sucked up a bruise.

"Gray," she weakly warned. Leaving hickeys would definitely show to Natsu that she and Gray were intimate, but it would also embarrass her.

Despite her feeble protest, Gray moved up to her neck, nipping, sucking, while his hands drifted down and loosened her skirt. She felt the suction on her neck and moved her head to the side to give him access. She knew she would have tiny bruises all over her body now. He was marking her!

"Come on, Gray," she finally protested. "Stop it."

"Why should I?" he asked, his lips barely leaving her skin. "You were planning this all along, right? Marking one another, seducing each other. So tell me what you want now. What's next on your agenda?" he asked wryly.

Yes, she had calculated her seduction, yet Gray had completely overwhelmed her. Whatever she had planned paled in comparison to what he was doing. Begging for more was like surrendering to his touches, and she was not ready to do that.

Or at least, her brain wasn't. Her body, on the other hand, was shrieking for more. She bit her lips and little harder to hold back that scream.

His hands were like ice, yet when his mouth met her skin, that cold effect made his lips feel hotter, seemingly burning more than Natsu's kisses ever had. Cold, then heat. It was a technique Gray seemed to have perfected. She wondered if he had already dated many girls to practice this clime variant, or if this was simply a natural technique for an ice user.

He slid her skirt down along with the underwear. Slowly, he pulled them to her ankles, tossed them aside, then looked at her fully naked body from a vantage point between her feet. She bashfully covered her breasts when she saw him staring so intensely at her.

Slowly, like a snake slithering up to his prey, Gray slid between her legs, gently parting them as he drew nearer. His hands rubbed along her thighs and up to her womanhood, but they only touched the outer edges, torturously avoiding the smooth pinkness inside. The teasing made Lucy squirm. His hand did a sudden change in direction, back down toward her pussy, as if bypassing it had been a mere mistake. However, again they rubbed thighs, outer lips, everything but the inner parts. She wanted to feel him, aching painfully for some light touch, yet he denied it, rubbing his thumbs along the fuzzy lips but never drifting to where she was moist.

He kissed her calves, the inside of her knee—which earned him a jolt of ticklish shock—then lapped up her thighs. His lips again got to the inner edge of her thigh, right at the wiry hair line. Lucy's body twitched in anticipation, and he heard her breaths quicken. He gazed up with a sly smile, then skipped right over the aching part and began kissing her lower belly.

"Oh, come on," she shouted in frustration. "Please!"

"Please … what?" Gray teased more with a fiendish grin as his lips lowered again, kissing the thigh while avoiding that inner zone.

She whimpered and wiggled under him. His gentleness and slow, deliberate, tantalizing caresses made her lungs gasp and her head spin.

"I know you want it," he said in a jaunty tone, laying kisses up her inner thigh, tickling and teasing without satisfying. "Just say it."

Lucy squirmed under his touches like a wild animal trying to slip away from a trap. She had wanted to ensnare him, yet she felt herself being the one slowly and cautiously tamed. The wild side of Lucy fought that taming hand, but another side of her yearned for it to grasp her, please her, do everything she desired most. She squirmed to escape, and she squirmed to feel more.

Once again, his touch slid up her sexual lips, merely ghosted over her aching center, and skipped right over. She had enough! Even if she had to beg, she needed him now.

"How do you want me to say it?" she mumbled petulantly.

Gray chuckled slyly. "How do you want me to do it?"

She thought about that. Gajeel had called it mere _fucking_ and treated the act just as roughly. Laxus surprised her by calling it _making love_ and treating it a little too gently, as if she was a fragile doll that might break from his touch. Loke used some flowery term like _worshiping upon the altar of Lucy_. Sadly, he never once got on his knees and prayed to that altar. Heathen! Natsu had not really called it anything. "Hey Lucy, let's do it" was usually enough to call her to the bedroom.

There were many terms for the act, and each was unique.

So how did she want it with Gray?

"Make me shiver," she ordered lustily. "Make me come from your cold touch, then warm me up everywhere until I come again."

The hissing sneer on Gray's lips proved that hearing her say it that way truly affected him. For just a moment, she thought he might leap on her. Instead, he leaned over her face and kissed her in reward. "Crude, blunt, immensely sexy. I like it! Now that, I can do."

Finally, his hand rubbed right against her, slipping over all the moisture already built up. Her body jerked at finally feeling it, and a cry shuddered out of her lungs. His touch became more purposeful, tracing circles right over her tiny pink pearl, rubbing sensually until Lucy thrashed under him.

"You like that, don't you?" he goaded. "Does it feel good here? Is it sensitive? You're so wet already, I think you're about to come."

He was right! She was so built up from his earlier teasing that already she felt her mind blanking out. She grabbed his other arm, holding tight to him as her body rocked to his touch. Then Gray made things worse by leaning over and sucking her breast. It shot like a hot spike from her nipple down to her core. Lucy shrieked with wanton abandonment as her walls constricted on him.

"Oh God," she panted as she cursed that he made her come so easily. Women were _not_ supposed to be this easy to arouse!

He gave her not even a minute to catch her breath before two fingers slid into her, and his thumb kept on rubbing her outside. He watched her thrashing, listened to her moans, and steeled himself to hold back a little longer. All Gray wanted was to mount her, thrust into her, drive himself into a blur of ecstasy, but first he had to conquer her. He did not want to be just another boy toy. He wanted to utterly possess her!

"Gray," she whimpered meekly, finally moaning his name.

Never before had a man touched her in such a manner, not as if she was fragile doll like Laxus had done, not rough and domineering like Gajeel, and not wildly craving like Natsu. Gray's touches evoked something else. They had a completely different feel to them, conveying his emotions. It made her crave more until she felt like she might weep. They were touches that showed he honestly, wholeheartedly, and passionately loved her. It stole away Lucy's breath to feel so much conveyed through touch alone. Words were unnecessary.

Slowly, as another surge crashed upon her, Lucy felt her shy self emerge, that blushing girl she thought had been destroyed the day her virginity was sundered by a wild Dragon Slayer who probably did not fully understand what he had taken. No man had yet been able to turn her into this shy character, this frightened little girl, like she was a virgin once more. The feeling of helplessness terrified her, and the defenselessness as she succumbed to his touches thrilled her.

Lucy hid her face as she surrendered to Gray, losing her control completely, becoming a slave to his whims and desperate for more. She muted her mouth as she shrieked at the intensity of a second surge, and her entire body jolted at the sensation. Something he did, how he was touching her both inside and outside, made her spray fluid all over his hand. She cried out in shock and horror that she had actually done something like that. Gray looked down at the moist mess, honestly impressed; however, Lucy felt deeply ashamed as she slowly sank on a cloud of ecstasy.

"I never had a girl squirt before," he admitted, slowly removing his fingers and licking up the strongly feminine tasting fluid. "You must have really loved that."

"Shut up," she mumbled tiredly, thoroughly exhausted, far weaker than normal orgasms left her. "Oh God, I don't think I've ever done that before. How embarrassing!"

"But it's sexy." She was barely moving, and for a moment Gray felt concerned. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked tenderly, stroking back her sweaty hair.

She laughed at that. Okay? She was far beyond _okay_.

"Sorry if you need to rest, but I really can't hold back anymore, not after seeing you do that." Gray climbed on top of her body and gazed down into her blushing face. "I love you, Lucy," he whispered honestly, smiling in a way that told her he simply could not help but tell her something so saccharine.

She didn't mind. She realized that she had totally and utterly surrendered to him.

She felt his tip press against her and prepared herself to be entered. However, just as she thought he was about to pierce into her, she thought maybe he had slipped. His shaft ran up her slit, sliding right over her nub and making her grit her teeth at the soft, hot pleasure stroking over that immensely sensitive button. Then he pulled back, pressing a little more against her opening, enough for the nerve endings to feel it, before his flaring head pulled back again and stroked along the length of her sex.

"Oh, come on!" she whined impatiently. "I thought you said you couldn't hold back."

A low chuckle rumbled out of Gray's chest. "Just prepping myself. You're really moist after squirting. I'd hate for all that juice to go to waste."

He slid slowly back up, then hovered over her, gazing down at the flush spread over her entire body and the way her hips rolled up to meet him. She was definitely no stranger to sex, and that thought passed his mind briefly as he saw how she spread her thighs a little more for him. Still … she had not known sex with Gray Fullbuster yet! He simply had to defeat all the other guys in a private battle, fighting memories of them, beating out any comparisons, utterly dominating her desires.

He had to smile as he thought about defeating Natsu in the bedroom.

"All right," he said to warn her, although she looked more than ready for him now, desperate for it, pleading with her twitching body and heated moans.

Slowly, savoring every inch of the journey, he pressed into her. There was a slight hesitance at the entrance as he pushed through firm muscles, then at about halfway in he felt a bit of friction as he reached an area of his shaft that had not gotten moist enough. He stopped there before the friction hurt them both, and he pulled back a little.

Lucy whimpered as she felt him retreat before he had fully filled her, but she had also felt the uncomfortable friction. The next thrust was more deliberate, going a little faster and deeper, yet she sensed he was not quite done. With a bit more natural lubricant on him, he pulled back once more, and the third thrust utterly filled her until she felt his balls pressed up against her perineum. Despite herself, it made her scream to be filled so fully.

She could hardly help but do a comparison. Natsu was almost as long, maybe a fraction shorter. Laxus was thicker but painfully so; sex with him had left her spread wide, loose, and sore. Gajeel had piercings that had done amazing things to the inside of her body. However, Gray had the advantage of length, and she wondered if maybe that was why he kept removing his pants all the time. He also had a curve to his cock that let him stroke right over her sweet spot. It fit as if a god had sculpted him to slide perfectly into her.

"Are you okay?" he whispered as he watched the tenseness in her brow.

She nodded quickly, too afraid that if she tried to speak, only a squawking sound would come out.

He spoke little, keeping quiet to listen to her. The squishy sounds of the thrusting, the slap of skin when he thrust in quickly, and her gasping moans at each movement, made it hard for him not to lose control instantly.

The feel of him moving within her so slowly, with such calculated angles at each thrust, was blissful torture. Lucy inhaled in a deep hiss between clenched teeth as Gray slid every inch of himself inside, rubbing right over the spongy inner area that caused stars to burst in her vision, all the way until she felt pressure in the very back wall of her cavity. Suddenly, he held there, pressing against that wall that no other man had managed to hit. She peeked her eyes open and saw that he was resting to regain control of himself. It made her momentarily smug that he was already about to lose control. Then, just as slow and torturous, Gray pulled back. She could finally breathe, yet air was unnecessary. All her body craved was his next thrust.

"Gray, please," she whispered in a whining tone.

Those blue eyes squinted as he smiled down at the way she quivered under him. "What do you want, Lucy?" he taunted seductively, yet thrust in again a little faster and kissed her lips fully before allowing her to answer.

She did not want to beg. She had planned to toy with him, yet here she was being the toy to his desires. It irked her … and enthralled her. Another slow thrust, taking a full ten seconds to slide all the way in, shattered her stubborn pride.

"More," she begged.

Gray chuckled softly. "How much more can I possibly give you? I'm in as deep as I can go." To show her, he thrust in hard, pressing as deeply as possible and holding it there with pained pressure right against her uterus.

"Faster," she amended, panting hard from the force pushing within her.

He increased the speed, setting up a rhythm rather than purely teasing her. "Better?"

She groaned sensually in reply.

"I'll take that as a yes," he chuckled. He balanced himself on one hand, using the other to play with her breast while sucking one nipple. Lucy's whole body shuddered, and her mind began to lose a sense of reality. "Do you like it like this?"

"Yes," she moaned as the trusts filled her. Her breasts bounced from his movements, while his fingers and lips held the nipples in place.

He bit her breast lightly, just enough to scrape teeth over her, and felt her clench inside at that. "Wow, you have quite a powerful grip down there! Don't tell me you do exercises just to strengthen those muscles, too."

"Shut up," she shrieked, totally out of control now.

He grinned at her blushing face. "Say you want me," he panted heavily.

She did not want to say anything. Why was he still toying with her at a time like this, when he had already conquered her? How had this situation completely reversed on her? Yet his touches made her shiver, and his teasing caused her body to crave more.

"Please, Gray!"

"Say it!" he demanded harshly.

She peeked an eye open and saw his sweaty face above her. He was close; she could tell by the tightness in his jaws. She gave in, completely surrendering to the love he was showing her.

"I want you more than anything, Gray."

He smiled in approval and satisfaction. "How do you want this to end?"

She was confused at first until she realized that they had not put on a condom, nor did she have any of her own. She doubted Gray had one since he had not put it on earlier. "I'm on a pill. It's okay," she assured him.

He gave a nod just before his face began to tense up. His thrusts sped up, and she watched as his face sneered, trying to hold back, slowly losing the battle.

"Lucy!" he cried out.

"Almost there," she warned.

Gray tensed all of his stomach muscles to hold back just a little longer. His trusts aimed right for her inner spot, and his hand went down to also rub her clit, bringing out every weapon he had that might overwhelm her one last time.

Lucy felt her hips tighten, her thighs tense up, her toes curl, and the muscles in her lower stomach began to constrict and shiver. She was already exhausted, yet Gray had her so worked up, she could hardly help but be overwhelmed by him. She grabbed him, clawing his shoulders, pulling him tight to her as she clenched hard and shrieked. That was all Gray could handle.

"Oh God, Lucy!" he hissed as he came hard.

She felt deep throbs pulse within her, and stickiness leaked out over her thighs, mixing with the moisture she had squirted earlier. She kept clutching, shivering, her body involuntarily clenching on Gray's cock as her breaths came in ragged gasps. His breathing was slow and heavy, matching hers. He felt so sensitive, he was almost too scared to move. Then Gray rose onto his arms and gazed down at Lucy. His black hair hung in his face, obscuring his weary eyes, yet she saw the tired smile.

"You're mine now," he told her sternly.

She froze, thinking that was an oddly possessive thing to say right after making love, but she no longer cared. She felt utterly weary; all she wanted was to wash the sweat away and sleep in Gray's arms.

As they both walked to the shower to clean up, she realized belatedly that she had done almost nothing special for Gray. She had hoped to ensnare him, and instead she was the one now captive.

He was right. She was his now, wholly and completely.


	6. Off to Darkened Corners

Dawn arrived in Lucy's bedroom like golden streamers gleaming through her light curtains. The blonde laid on her side where she had fallen asleep spooned into Gray's body. She hummed occasionally, dreaming of pleasant things soon to be forgotten with the return to the waking world.

Gray hardly slept that night. Everything about Lucy enthralled him. He spent hours just looking at how the moon shadows drifted over her cheeks. He had listened to every mutter, and he chuckled when she began to snore softly, more like the purr of a kitten than something annoying. He stared at her now, gazing down at his naughty princess, yet she slept like an angel. He carefully moved a strand of hair away from her cheek. Lucy hummed again, and a soft smile tweaked her lips before she fell back into a dream.

"Lucy," Gray breathed, as if her name was a prayer. "I love you more than anything. I'm not going to let your heart suffer ever again." His brow tensed as his determination to protect her solidified. "You're mine now. I won't let that bastard touch you. I'll _kill him_ if he ever makes you cry."

His growl got a little too loud, and Lucy moaned. Gray froze, hoping she would sleep a little longer, wanting to stare at her bare shoulders and the back of her silky white neck just a little more. Alas, that was asking for too much. Lucy rolled onto her back, wiped the sleep from her eyes, and opened them to see Gray smiling down at her.

"Mornin'," she mumbled.

"A very good morning," he declared, then Gray leaned over and greeted her with a kiss.

Lucy laughed and pushed him away. Gray leaned back up with concern.

"Come on," she giggled. "I just woke up. I probably have morning breath."

He sighed and moved aside. Yes, she did have a little morning breath, but he found it charming. Lucy sat up in bed and stretched her arms above her head. The sheets fell, exposing her naked body down to the waist. Gray felt a surge at seeing her so angelic in the morning light. Unable to stop himself, he pounced on her, knocking her back onto the pillows.

"Hey!" she pouted, but she saw the starving look in his stormy blue eyes.

"I'm not letting you go yet," he growled, and Gray kissed her hard, crawling on top of her.

* * *

Half an hour later—and another shower—the two finally began putting on clothes. As Lucy adjusted her bra, Gray stared at her skin. It was a shame to hide away all that perfection.

Well, not perfect anymore! Lucy's nipples had red spots from Gray sucking on them so hard. There were two hickeys on her collar and a huge one on the side of her neck, plus smaller pink spots from where he had nipped at her. He lamented that she had finger-sized bruises on her hips from where he had grabbed her so hard, and she kept rubbing out a sore muscle in her inner thigh.

Yet all those subtle signs of sensuality made Gray chuckle smugly. Everyone was going to see at least the one on the neck. If Lucy's blouse dipped to the side, they would see the collar marks, too. He walked around behind her to help latch the bra hooks, caressing her skin as he moved the hair away from the metal snaps.

"Maybe you should wear a turtleneck," Gray suggested. "With all these marks on you, everyone in Fairy Tail will know who you belong to."

"Belong to?" she laughed, and she pointed a finger right at him. "Well, _you_ better keep your shirt on or everyone will see those scratches I put on your shoulders."

His eyes widened in surprise. Had she really marked him, too? He went to a mirror and looked at his back. Sure enough, both shoulders had four welts from Lucy's nails dragging over his skin, as well as many halfmoon-shaped marks on his biceps where she had tensed up while grabbing him and dug her nails in.

"Let them see!" he smiled, feeling proud of the marks she left for him. He pressed Lucy until her back was against a wall. She looked shocked, thinking he was ready for yet another round.

"Gray … sheesh," she smirked. "Don't you ever get tired?"

"How can I when I'm around you?" he whispered. He leaned over to the hickey on her neck and licked it. Lucy moaned at how sensitive the love bruise felt. "You have no idea how hard it'll be to stay in the guild today," he said softly into her ear. Then he licked the shell around and down to her earlobe, giving it a soft bite that made Lucy's knees tremble. "I have to sit there and look at you, thinking about how erotic you looked last night, wanting more, still able to feel the inside of you."

"Gray!" she warned. His talk was making her moist all over again.

"Tonight, I won't hold back."

"Wait, you were holding back?" she shouted in shock.

"Hell yes! Otherwise, someone would have called the police with how loudly you'd be screaming. I'm gonna thrust into you so slowly, you'll plead for more," he whispered seductively, letting his hands drift over her sensitive collar. "I'll make you squeal over and over. I'll lick you up until all of your juice is in my mouth. Such sweet juice, too! I wanna taste more … and more."

"Oh God, Gray," she groaned, remembering how good it felt to have him lick her.

"I'll lick you up everywhere. I'll start at your feet," he smiled, and his toe tapped against her bare foot. "I'll lick the bottom of your soles, suck each toe, kiss the top of your foot where you're most ticklish." He grinned when Lucy made a strangled noise, and he saw how her face was blushing just from his words. So, she liked dirty talk, huh? "I'll lick up your legs, your knees, your thighs. But I'll skip that _other_ part for now. I'll lick your stomach instead, and thrust my tongue into your navel." Lucy's fingers clenched onto him as she imagined it. "I'll lick your armpits, even. All of you, every bit of skin. Your breasts, of course! Oh yes, I'll lick those good. I'll nip on those perky buds until you shriek, then suck on them, sucking and sucking, and maybe bite. Do you like when I bite you, Lucy?"

Lucy's thighs tightened. She hated how his talk was so descriptive, she could almost feel it.

"Then I'll move down to that place I avoided. I'll kiss your ass, Lucy," he chuckled. "I'll lick your asshole, too. Maybe I can stick my tongue up there."

"No, Gray!" she shivered. No man had ever done that. In fact, none wanted anal sex at all. They never even suggested it. Lucy had never been taken like that. She imagined it now, though, and her butt muscles trembled as her fantasies went wild.

"What, do you not want me to enter from the back door?" Gray asked in amusement. "Has no one ever done that? Is your ass still virgin, Lucy?"

"Sh-shut up!" she said, flushing darkly.

"I'll need lube for that, but I'd love to break in your ass."

"Gray!"

"I'll do your vag first, make you scream my name, make you come so hard you squirt again. I loved that!" he snarled passionately. "Then I'm gonna bang into your ass so hard, so fast, so rough, you won't be able to sit for two days."

Lucy's thighs squeezed together as the moistness became too noticeable. Gray was barely touching her, yet she could feel his hands everywhere … and his mouth … and his tongue … and his dick.

Gray looked deep into her eyes, nuzzled his nose against hers, then tilted his head, teasing her lips by barely touching them with his. Lucy tried to press in for more, but Gray backed away.

"Time to head to the guild," he said with a devilish glint in his eyes, and he tugged his shirt on as he stepped out of the bedroom.

Lucy remained rooted in a dreamy stupor, breathless and craving his touches. Why was he not touching her? Why was he not speaking those dirty promises that made her so aroused? When she finally opened her eyes, Gray was already in the living room.

"Gray, you idiot!" Lucy screamed, and she heard his smug chuckle from the other room. "Dammit," she mumbled, looking down at where her panties had soaked completely through, leaving her thighs a little wet. "Stupid Gray. Now I have to change my underwear again."

* * *

When the two walked into the guild, no one seemed too surprised. They were teammates, so entering together was not shocking. Lucy took a seat at the counter, sitting to Natsu's left. The Dragon Slayer jolted out of his thoughts and smiled when he saw her.

"Hey Lucy!" he said brightly. Then Gray took a seat on the other side of her, and Natsu grumbled, "Oh. It's you, droopy-eyes."

Instead of the usual sneer and quick temper to fight, Gray merely glanced over with weary happiness in his face. Even when looking at his rival, the ice wizard could not stop from smiling. He had to admit, he felt a little cocky. He sincerely hoped Natsu looked a little closer at Lucy and saw the hickey on her neck. He wanted that flame-brain to _know_ who Lucy belonged to now.

Lucy glanced over to Natsu and smiled in a friendly way. "Morning, Natsu." It was a curt greeting, then she leaned over to Gray and smiled up into his face. "What would you like to drink, dear?"

Mira was wiping glasses, but she heard the term of endearment even over the chaos of the guild hall. "Dear?" She swooped in quickly with huge eyes practically sparkling with hearts. "My, my! Lucy, is Gray suddenly _dear_ to you?"

Natsu's eyes widened in surprise. He saw Lucy blush, stutter out some excuses, before finally admitting that she and Gray were dating. The arrogant smirk on Gray's face showed that _dating_ was putting it mildly. Inside the Dragon Slayer's heart, emotions rumbled and flamed. He sat by Lucy's side, yet her eyes were solely on Gray. The way the ice wizard smiled at her, the glances they gave one another, the smell…

Natsu's blood ran cold at the smell on Lucy … Gray's smell. It was all over her, infecting that sweet scent like a toxin and making Natsu feel sick. He finally noticed the purplish-red mark on her neck, and as she leaned over to whisper something into Gray's ear, her blouse dipped low enough to expose another mark on her chest.

He could hardly stand the thought of Gray having her, touching her, leaving marks like that. Just the thought of Gray being close to her drove Natsu into a jealous frenzy, but to make marks like that … for Lucy to smell the way she did…

Bile shot up into Natsu's throat. He rose quickly, ignoring the chatter and Mira's nosy inquiries. The last thing he wanted was to hear "all the juicy details." He marched over to a table in the corner of the guild, but he stopped before reaching it and swallowed hard to keep from screaming. Every instinct in his body said to challenge Gray, kick the shit out of him, nab Lucy, and take her far away from all this, someplace where no man could gaze upon her and be tempted.

Every other boyfriend Lucy had since their breakup, Natsu felt annoyance, angry that Lucy could move on so suddenly, but otherwise he could control himself. If she was happy, that was good. He reluctantly realized that he had no excuse to feel jealous, since he had been the one to call it off.

Natsu had regretted breaking up with her within mere days of doing it. He did not realize how good sex was with her until he suddenly had nothing but his own hand. He thought they would easily go back to how things used to be, yet Lucy had avoided him for weeks. That annoyed him. He began to realize that her very presence was calming. Although he thought love was supposed to be eternally fiery, perhaps settling down and finding your partner to be "comfortable" rather than "sultry" was also an aspect of love.

How was he supposed to know these things, anyway? If there was some almighty instruction manual on love, he had never heard of it.

He had made up his mind to apologize and ask her out again, but she began to date Laxus. That stunned Natsu, so he backed away to keep an eye on her, hoping to sort out why she would date someone else so quickly. When those two broke up, Natsu waited a week just in case Lucy was heartbroken, and he decided he would try again at an all-guilds Christmas party. During that celebration, Lucy and Hibiki hooked up, although it was a brief fling. Then she cycled through local boys, four of them, none lasting more than two weeks, before dating Gajeel, then Sting, and then Loke. Each one made Natsu increasingly angry. He thought what he and Lucy had was special, yet now she took men home on a whim. He not only hated the boyfriends, but he found himself furious at her as well.

Did she have to abandon her feelings so easily? Did he really mean nothing to her?

Natsu finally sat down hard and folded his leg over his knee with a dark glower, fighting the temptation to set the whole building on fire just so he could get rid of that damnable stench of Lucy and Gray's aromas mixing together. He stared hard at Gray, who must have sensed the eyes on his back. The ice wizard glanced around and saw his rival glaring with brimming hatred.

Good! Natsu needed to realize that he screwed up when he broke Lucy's heart. Now _he_ was the one to apply cool and soothing balm to the burning heartache.

Meanwhile, Lucy rested her hand on her chin, glancing slyly at the stares of rivalry. Really, this was too good to ask for! Natsu looked positively infuriated. Still, she wanted to punish him just a little more. She wanted Natsu to truly learn his lesson. Toying with a girl's emotions, taking her virginity and casting her aside like garbage, was something only bastards did.

She wanted Natsu to realize, Gray was not a bastard for gaining Lucy's affections. It was he himself who was the bastard for stomping on her love.

"Mira," she called over. "Do you have any dried blue apricots?"

"Blue apricots? That's a bizarre thing to want." Mira suddenly gasped and covered her mouth. She leaned over the bar and right into Lucy's ear. "Don't tell me that's … food cravings!"

Lucy blushed at that. "N-No!" she insisted. She had only asked for something she knew the guild had, yet it would not be readily available. She didn't even like blue apricots! "I'll go look for them myself, since you're busy. Gray, come help me."

She pulled him away, tugging him to follow her into the dark back room where Mira stored the guild's food supplies. Lucy began to shut the door, but she purposely left it a little open. She smirked as she looked at Gray, ready to use him to punish Natsu a little more.

"What is it we're getting again?" he asked, glancing at shadowy shelves of weird preserves.

She sashayed forward. "Doesn't matter. I just wanted to get away from the crowd. All those eyes watching us, it was making me too self-conscious."

Gray stopped searching and glanced back down at her. The way Lucy chewed on her bottom lip in a coquettish way, it was obvious what she was truly after. "Haven't had enough, eh?"

"It's your fault." She walked up to him and pressed her body against his. "You're the one who said all those things this morning. I can't get it out of my head … and I don't want to wait until tonight."

Gray reached around her and yanked her hips tight against him. "We probably shouldn't do it here, though."

"It doesn't have to be sex. You're probably still tired. Just … just satisfy me a bit, just for now."

Gray smirked at her starving face. "Satisfy you, huh? That's rather demanding of you."

"Are you not going to?"

"Oh _hell_ yes, I am!"

He dived down to her mouth and kissed her hard. Lucy grabbed his hands and dragged them off her hips and up to her breasts. Gray chuckled into the deep kiss at her sneakiness as he squeezed the soft mounds.

"Oh God, Gray," she moaned.

"Not too loudly," he hushed.

"Sorry, it just feels so _good_ ," she groaned heatedly. "Damn, I love the way you touch me."

"Hush, silly," he chuckled. "So, how much do you want?"

"Just touch me," she moaned, sitting on a pile of rice sacks and tugging her skirt up her thighs. "I love to feel your cold fingers inside me."

Gray hissed as her lusty words affected him. He was almost tempted to give her more, yet she was right: his body was still weary, and he wanted to save some energy for that night.

As Gray moved her panties to the side and felt her out, Lucy tried to be quiet, but still she aimed a few wanton moans to be loud enough for anyone to hear, always followed by Gray hushing her. Privately, she loved the idea that the whole guild, especially Natsu, would be able to hear her.

* * *

Sure enough, in the main hall, Mira blushed at the strained whimpers and occasional high moans. Charle flew up and covered Wendy's ears. Macao began to choke on his beer while the perverted side of the old man made him squirm in his seat. Even Cana stopped her drinking and glanced at the hallway leading to the back room. Mira laughed awkwardly in apology to the crowd.

"I'll … um … go see what those to are up to," she offered. As Mira hurried away, the demon aura within darkened her face. "And I'll flay those two if they ruin my food."

Mira worried about Lucy playing around with Natsu's emotions. This was obviously done on purpose, and it angered the white-haired bartender that Lucy would go this far, tarnishing her reputation within the guild, all to get back at Natsu. Even if Lucy felt like she had been wronged, this was going too far.

Natsu sat on his bench with his face buried in his hands. This was worse than anything. He could imagine Lucy's face as he heard the way she struggled to keep quiet. He remembered how beautiful she looked in the throes of ecstasy. He missed that face … so much. He missed the way she cried out his name.

"Oh, Gray!"

Tears slipped down his eyes, yet he kept his head buried to hide away from the pain and jealousy.

Happy patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. Then he leaned over to try and look at his best friend's face. "Natsu?" he whispered in worry.

Softly, Natsu grumbled, "Just go away." A small sniffle slipped out, and Natsu sneered that he had failed to hold these emotions back.

Happy looked troubled, but Elfman approached them. In gruff consolation, he said, "It's fine, Natsu. It's manly to feel a little jealous."

Happy nodded in agreement. "At least Lucy is happy. That's good, right, Natsu?"

Natsu didn't give a fuck if she was happy anymore! He didn't want her to be happy with that stripping bastard. He wanted her to be happy with _him_. He wanted to be the only person who could make her happy. No one else was worthy of loving Lucy in this sort of way.

She was his! His alone!

If not him … then no one!


	7. Tell Me How I Mesmerize You

Lucy woke up slowly and saw Gray already getting dressed. She rolled over in bed, wrapping the sheet around her naked body, and gazed at him tugging on the shirt he almost never wore.

"Going somewhere?" she asked seductively.

"Emergency call," he answered in a hurry. "A village in the mountains is about to be crushed by a glacier. I'm supposed to meet Lyon there as soon as possible."

Lucy pouted and flopped back onto her pillow. "I guess I'd just be in the way."

Gray paused in his rush and knelt beside the bed to smile at her. "You'd definitely distract me. Do you even realize how sexy you look in a parka?"

She laughed and slapped his arm. "A parka? Seriously, Gray?"

"Besides, it'll be dangerous and freezing. People are dying up there. I want you to stay here where it's warm. I'll be back in a couple days."

"You better be," she pouted. "My birthday's coming up."

Gray leaned over and kissed her. "I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Then he rose and pulled his coat on. "Stay out of mischief while I'm gone."

"No flirting with girls," she called back.

Gray paused in the doorway and looked back with a serious expression. "Stay away from Natsu."

"Silly," she laughed. "Go rescue those villagers. I'll make some hotpot when you come back. Maybe something special for dessert," she said with a wink.

Gray rushed back in, tackled her on the bed, kissed her passionately, and grabbed her breasts. Lucy gasped and arched her back, only to feel him pull away.

"One for the road," he smirked.

"Meanie!" she huffed, but Gray left in a hurry. "Grab and go, huh?"

Eventually, Lucy convinced herself to leave the warmth of the bed, dress, and go to the guild hall. She ordered a breakfast protein shake, part of a diet she had been following so she could lose some weight before her birthday. Mira brought the shake over with a charming smile.

"No Gray today? Maybe you're proving to be too much for the poor boy."

Lucy laughed wearily as she stirred a straw in the shake. "Trust me, it's the other way around."

Mira sighed dreamily. "You two are cute together, even if you act like rabbits in heat. Are you happy with him?"

Lucy thought about the past few days. "Yeah," she smiled with hot cheeks. "I don't want to mess up with him, but…" She closed her mouth, afraid to say too much.

Mira pouted and leaned in closer to whisper. "Lucy, I know you're planning something against Natsu. Personally, I think that's a bit vindictive of you. I know you were heartbroken, but it's been six months. You should let it go. I don't want to see you mess things up with Gray. He's a good guy, but he has quite a temper if you truly provoke him."

She laughed softly. "Gray wouldn't get mad at me."

Mira's eyes saddened. "You haven't known Gray as long as I have. Just be nicer to Natsu. Let the past go." Her eyes glanced to the door. "Speak of the Devil!" she muttered, and instantly her normal smile was back. "Good morning, Natsu!"

He said nothing, giving only a grunt instead. However, Happy flew up to the bar and ordered tuna juice.

Mira quickly leaned back in to Lucy. "Nothing vindictive, got it?"

"I'll be good," Lucy sighed. "Maybe I'll take a mission. Going on a mission with Natsu might cheer him up."

"Good idea," Mira smiled, then she went off to fix more drinks.

While Natsu was greeted by insults from Gajeel, Lucy walked over to the mission board. She glanced over them, humming as she scanned each, then finally picked one she felt was perfect. Not too hard, but just hard enough, nearby, with a great reward.

"Hey Natsu," she called out cheerfully. "Wanna do a mission?"

Happy's face lit up. "Ooh, a mission with Lucy!"

The Dragon Slayer's eyes slid over to her in a caustic glare. "If you mean with that nudist popsicle, I'm not in the mood."

"No, just you and me this time. It's nearby, so we don't even have to take transportation." She showed him the flier. Indeed, it was only two towns away. They could walk there in a few hours and be back before supper.

"Why not do this with Gray?" he asked bitterly.

"He's away on another mission. I wanted to do something with you today," she smiled. "Come on, Natsu. I want us to still be friends. We're still a team, right? You, me, Erza, Gray, and Happy."

"Yeah," he mumbled. "It'd be nice to do something together. It's been a while since we did a mission, just us."

"Right! So what do you say?"

Natsu looked over the flier again. Although he really did not feel like doing much of anything, he realized that this was way too difficult for Lucy alone. Together, it would be simple. Plus, she smelled really good today.

"Yeah, let's do it," he grinned, trying to return to his usual happy self. For Lucy's sake, even though he felt depressed, he would do this much. Besides, with the ice bastard out of the way, maybe something might happen. Maybe she might remember how much fun they had together. Maybe … he could convince her to break up with Gray! As he watched Lucy confirm the mission with Mira, his eyes gazed over her hips and to her ass, thinking about how to woo her without upsetting her.

Happy frowned. "Natsu's looking a little dark again. I think I'll stay here."

"All the better," Natsu said to himself.

Natsu still had to eat breakfast, and Lucy gossiped with Levy while she finished her shake. They were discussing the latest chapter of Lucy's book when Lisanna approached with a timid twisting of her hands.

"Um, Lucy, can I talk to you?"

"Sure," the blonde smiled.

Lisanna glanced at Levy and Gajeel. "Alone?"

Although Lucy was confused, she stood and follow Lisanna to the infirmary where they were away from the noise of the guild hall.

"Mira-nee told me you're going on a mission with Natsu," she said, getting right to the issue. "I know it's not my place to say anything, but I think that's a really bad idea."

Lucy sighed quietly. "Do you think he's still in love with me or something?"

"About that … I really don't know," Lisanna admitted sadly. "I'm worried about him. He's … different. He hasn't been the same since you two broke up."

"Neither of us have been the same," Lucy admitted. "We're trying to still be friends, but it's not always easy after you've been _more_ than friends."

Lisanna looked away uncomfortably. "I just think being alone together right now is a bad idea. Natsu is depressed and angry, which isn't like him at all. I'm unsure how he'd react to situations, considering you … well … I don't mean to be rude," she assured quickly, "but you've been pretty mean to Natsu lately. Not directly mean, but little things, especially how you flaunt being with Gray."

"You're just like your sister," Lucy mumbled. "Look, I know I've been a little rough on Natsu, but it's for his own good. That boy has no clue how to treat women. When we were dating … I don't want to get into anything graphic, but he really had no idea how to treat a lady. Then when he got bored, he completely ignored the fact that I have feelings, too. I loved Natsu very deeply." Lucy dropped her head in sadness. "To lose the man you love so much that you'd consider marrying him, to have him suddenly brush you aside because 'it's not fun anymore' really, really hurts. He needs to be taught that women have feelings. It's like teaching a dog that sniffing crotches is wrong. Okay, bad analogy," she admitted, "but it's like training a pet. You take away what they want, smack their nose, and make them learn. It takes a long time to train something that simply doesn't know that what it's doing is wrong, but it's the duty of the person who loves that pet, that way the pet doesn't hurt other people."

Lisanna drew back in shock and anger. "Natsu is _not_ a pet!"

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't. Sure, Natsu is a little immature, but he means well. Boys make mistakes in relationships. Girls do, too. I think you both are making mistakes right now. You and Natsu are my friends. I don't want to see either of you hurt."

"Believe me, this is for Natsu's own good," Lucy insisted. "I'm doing all this for his sake, and for the sake of his future girlfriends … possibly including you, Lisanna." She watched as the white-haired girl blushed. "Don't act surprised. The whole guild has been talking for months that, now that Natsu broke up with me, you'll probably be his next girl. By how you're blushing," Lucy chuckled, "you've thought about that, too. Do you really want to be played, like how Natsu played me? Do you want to give everything to him, and by winter he's bored with you and dumps you for the next girl?"

Lisanna pouted and looked away. "Natsu wouldn't do that."

"He did it to me," Lucy reasoned. "Lisanna." She took the girl's tiny hands. "You're my friend, too. I don't want to see you get hurt by Natsu. No girl deserves to be treated like that. I'm going to make him learn that lesson."

"I still don't like it," Lisanna mumbled.

"Well, you can hate me now, but when Natsu gets together with you and realizes he should treat you like a person and not just a sex toy, you can thank me then." In the next room, there was a crash followed by a _whoosh_ sound. "Ah, Natsu must be finished eating. I better drag him out before he burns the place down." She smiled at Lisanna, then sashayed out of the infirmary. "Time to go train the dog some more."

Lisanna pouted deeply as she watch Lucy leave. After the blonde was gone, Lisanna let a little bit of anger enter her face. "I don't like seeing anyone treat Natsu like a pet."

* * *

Lucy and Natsu walked down the road connecting Magnolia to the neighboring town. Natsu was quiet as he stole glances over at Lucy. She was mesmerizing! Although dating her was not as exciting as he had thought it would be, being near her was thrilling. She oozed sexuality, and it always affected him.

Then he looked away and scolded himself. She had moved on. She had Gray. She asked him on this mission to rebuild trust and strengthen their friendship.

But was that really why she invited him? Maybe she was getting bored of Gray. Maybe their relationship was doomed to be brief, just like her relationships with Laxus, Gajeel, and Loke had all ending soon. If he did not make his move while he had a chance, he might lose her again.

However, she was still someone else's girl!

So what? Did that really matter? She was his girl first, and she would be his girl last. Even if he had to steal her away from that droopy-eyed snowman, Natsu wanted Lucy back!

All's fair in love and war, and when it came to Natsu and Gray, everything was a battle between them! Natsu smiled to himself as he thought how Lucy was simply their newest prize to fight over. He was not going to lose to that stripper!

"Hey Natsu?" Lucy finally said after an hour of silence. "Are you okay with me dating Gray?"

Natsu felt his stomach twist at the question. There was no way he could answer that honestly. "It's not my place to tell you who to date," he said bitterly.

"Well, obviously you don't like it."

Natsu looked in the opposite direction of her. "It doesn't matter what I like. It's your life."

Softly, with a tiny smile, Lucy whispered, "You were once part of that life."

Natsu gulped hard. Was it his imagination, or was that Lucy's flirting voice? A few more minutes passed while he argued with himself on if he should tell her what he really felt, or just keep quiet to regain her trust.

"Hold on, I have a rock in my shoe," Lucy said, and she hobbled off from the road to a clump of low grass.

Natsu followed her, standing with his arms folded while she sat and removed her boot. As she pulled the shoe off, her short skirt shifted, and Natsu saw her pink underwear. He looked away quickly, but he doubted Lucy could tell that she was giving a panty shot. Slowly, he shifted his eyes back over to her, sweeping up her legs, over those slender thighs, up higher and higher, until he saw the V where her legs met her belly. Lucy shook the boot, making her breasts jiggle. Then she dug into the shoe as she heard something still rattling around inside. She had not noticed her skirt yet.

Natsu felt his heart racing. That area … he remembered how it smelled, how hot it felt to touch, and how moist it got as he tasted it. Unconsciously, he licked his lips, remembering those nights when that area belonged to him.

He turned away as those memories aroused him. He had to think about something else, and fast, or this would only trouble him more. They had a long way to go until the next town, and there was only one tree in view that he could hide behind, claiming to take a dump while actually jerking off quickly.

"Maaaaan, it's hot!" Lucy complained, and she collapsed backward, her boot still off. "Can we just rest a little? My legs hurt."

Natsu looked back around. They had not walked that far. Bitterly, he wondered if she was weary because _someone_ had tired her out last night. He almost wanted to demand that they press on purely out of spite, to teach her that if she wanted to take missions, she should not let that ice bastard touch her so often. However, when he gazed at Lucy lying on the grass, her knees up, her panties _really_ showing now, Natsu felt that tugging in his gut again, and a rush of blood went directly to his crotch. He sat down purely to hide his arousal.

"It's so quiet here," Lucy sighed, gazing up at the clouds. "Not a soul around. You'd think we were in the middle of nowhere, not on a main road."

"It's the middle of the week," Natsu reasoned. "Not a lot of people travel on a day like this."

"I guess so. It's just … quiet. You can hear the wind in the grass." She looked over to where Natsu sat close by her, staring down into her face. "It's a bit romantic."

His brow tightened. That _had_ to be flirting … right? He needed to test it out. "Are you upset that Gray isn't here to enjoy it with you?" Way too angry! He sounded like a bitter ex-boyfriend, not someone testing out the emotions of a friend.

"Nah, I'm just glad I can enjoy it with you."

Natsu's heart raced faster. "Lucy…"

"Do you ever miss me sometimes, Natsu?"

He wondered if he really ought to answer that.

"Don't you think about me?" she asked, pouting a little at his silence.

The worry in her eyes convinced Natsu to tell her the truth. "Every night, Lucy."

She smiled, then she reached up and lightly caressed his cheek. "Sometimes I wish we could go back. There were so many mistakes we made."

"Yeah," he agreed, gazing over her body. "I … I want you back." Natsu began to lean down, resting on an elbow as he lowered closer to her face. He paused just shy of her lips, looked again into her eyes, and saw her patiently waiting for him. She was not pushing him away. She wanted him!

Natsu pressed his lips against her, and immediately he realized just how much he missed something so simple as a kiss. No girl kissed like Lucy! Well, not that he had kissed any other girls besides her, but Lucy kissed so softly, yet she could be passionate, too.

"Lucy," he moaned. Natsu pressed himself against her body, almost climbing on top of her, except they were still near the road. Although it was so quiet they could have heard a cat approaching, he still felt a little bashful that they were out in the open.

"Did you miss kissing me, Natsu?" Lucy asked, looking up at the clouds as he got lost in arousal.

"Yeah," he growled, caught up in the kiss.

"Did you miss holding me?"

His hands slid over her arms, up to her collar, and down her chest, feeling the softness of her breasts. "Definitely!"

"What else, Natsu? What did you miss?"

"I missed these!" and he squeezed her breasts hard.

Despite herself, Lucy gasped and arched on the grass. She could feel the heat of his fingertips even through her shirt and bra, like his hands were ready to burn away her clothes. Then his lips went over her cheek, down her chin, and to her neck. Lucy hissed as those hot lips sucked on her skin.

"Whoa, not too much," she warned, and she pushed him away.

Natsu frowned as he looked down at her. It was not even enough to leave a mark, and he really wanted to mark her. He wanted Gray to know that Lucy was his again. So why had she stopped him? Did she not want Gray to know? Did she plan on keeping this a secret? Like hell Natsu would do that!

Lucy sat up and wiped the wet spot off her neck. "Silly, we still have a mission to do. What would the client think if we showed up and I had hickeys all over me?"

"Then afterward?" he asked quickly.

She chuckled at his eagerness and tapped his nose. "Don't destroy anything. If you cost us our reward money again, I'll be very upset."

Natsu grinned with excitement. "Deal."

"Good. Then let's get going." She rose and smoothed down her skirt.

Natsu began to stand up, but he realized he had a serious problem. "I … um … need to take a dump." He raced off toward that one lone tree.

Lucy smirked slyly to herself. She was not naïve. She had been on enough missions with Natsu and Gray to know what they meant when they said it _that_ way. "Take your time. I still have to put my shoe on," she called out. She watched him until he disappeared behind the large oak tree. "Good dog," she whispered to herself.

* * *

It was late afternoon, the mission went flawlessly, and Lucy was humming with the bag of money in her hands. Natsu kept glancing at the land around them. He needed to find some place where he could hide away with Lucy. It had to be out of view, and it needed to be secluded enough so Lucy could make those sexy screams of hers without holding back … because Natsu sure as hell wanted to make her moan his name!

He was so riled up with sexual tension, he almost did not hear Lucy speaking.

"Huh? What?" he asked, only catching the last few words.

She laughed softly at his preoccupied face. "I said I'm hot, so let's rest over there." She pointed to a farmer's shed that Natsu had deemed not big enough for what he wanted. Then again, doing it in a confined space might be erotic, too.

They walked off the road and over a field of clovers to the shed. It was empty inside, since the field was left to fallow, but it was out of the sun. Lucy sighed as she felt the coolness of the shade. Living with Gray, she was becoming spoiled by coolness and intolerant to heat. She tugged on her blouse and wiped at the sweat.

Natsu slammed the door of the shed shut and stalked toward her with glaring eyes and a smug smile. If she would go this far, pulling them off the road instead of waiting until dark when they could be hidden in shadows, it must mean Lucy was as horny as him. She must want him as desperately as he wanted her. She must be _aching_ to be filled up, just as he ached every night to feel her sheathing him again.

Natsu did not wait for small talk. He grabbed Lucy so fast, she squeaked in shock. His lips were instantly on hers, and he pressed her up against the wall of the shed. Lucy flinched at the splinters in that old wooden wall.

"Natsu, be more gentle," she warned.

His mouth violently shut her up, covering her lips to keep her from ruining this moment with boring talking. Gentle? When was he ever gentle?

He grabbed her breasts, filling his hands with them, remembering their shape and softness. Then his thumbs found her nipples, and he tweaked them.

"Ah!" Lucy gasped. "Natsu…"

He shuddered at hearing her moan his name like that. Yes! It should be _his_ name on her lips, not that ice bastard's. It should be _he_ who made her moan, no one else. And no one—no other man in this world—was going to take her away from him again. Dragons liked to have a hoard of treasure, and for Natsu, Lucy was the greatest treasure of all. He would never let another man have her. She was _his_! He _owned_ her! He had marked her, and a dragon never surrendered its property.

"You really missed me, didn't you?" Lucy asked with a small laugh.

Natsu ignored it. He yanked her blouse down so hard, if the fabric had not been stretchy to fit over her breasts, it might have ripped.

"Tell me, Natsu," she moaned, arching her back at his touches. "Talk dirty to me. Tell me how I mesmerize you. What did you miss?"

He forgot she liked dirty talk. Natsu was never good at this—words simply were not his specialty—but he felt like now he could sing a whole song about what he missed.

"I miss your smell."

"But you smell me every day."

"No … this smell. The smell when you're wet down here." His hand slid up her skirt and rubbed against her panties.

Lucy gasped and began to reach over to push his hand aside, but she stiffened up to prevent herself from shoving him away too quickly. "What else?" she asked instead.

"I miss how your body wiggles under my fingers. I miss hearing you moan my name."

"Natsu," she shuddered and his fingers began to move her panties to the side.

"I miss … thrusting into you!" he groaned, and as he said it, he rammed him fingers inside.

Lucy cried out at the roughness, but those burning fingers knew where to aim already. Natsu chuckled as he saw her face instantly go into shock when he found that place inside her and curled his fingers to stroke it again and again.

"What … what else?" she asked with a clenched throat to hold back moans from the hot fingers.

Natsu could not even think anymore. His body pressed against her to ease the ache in his groin just enough so he could keep feeling inside her. "Everything, Lucy. I miss everything."

Lucy felt like she was about to completely lose control, and so soon! Then she realized Natsu had stopped grasping her breast. His other hand was now down undoing his pants. Suddenly, she shoved him away so hard, a fingernail nicked her inner wall as he was forced out. It hurt, but she kept Natsu away at arm's length.

The Dragon Slayer gaped in confusion. He was so worked up, he wanted her right now, right here. Lucy's head was down, so he could not see her face. He did not know what was wrong, why she would stop him after getting this far, but he did not want to wait.

"If it's a problem, I'll pay for a hotel," he offered desperately. His cock was getting painful with need.

Lucy chuckled softly to herself. "The dog is so desperate, it whines," she mumbled. Then she flashed her eyes up at him. "You're really despicable, Natsu. Doing all this to your best friend's girlfriend? Really, how low can you get?"

Natsu stood there dumbfounded. "But … you let me."

"I was testing you, Natsu. You failed. You still think of women as nothing more than a hole to stick your cock into."

"That's not true!" he shouted, although right at that moment, all he could think about was thrusting into her to ease his ache.

"You have no clue what being a gentleman means. Even that playboy Loke didn't come on to me while I was dating other men."

"You were leading me on!" he yelled angrily. "Why … why would you let me kiss you and do all that … why … if you didn't want me back … _why?_ " he screamed in fury.

Lucy counted off on her fingers. "You miss kissing me. You miss holding me. You miss my breasts. You miss my smell. You miss how I squirm. You miss how I moan. You miss thrusting into me. You miss … everything," she smirked. "You don't miss me as a person, Natsu. You don't miss my wit. You don't miss my company. You don't miss the fun we had. Oh, wait, that's right," she said ironically. "You said it wasn't fun anymore. So I guess I'm not fun, I'm not important enough for you to actually try to work things out, at least talk to me, tell me what dissatisfied you. I kiss good and fuck good, so you can steal me away from a nakama just because you got a little horny. Is that about right?"

Natsu's fist flew out and smashed into the wall of the shed, shattering the wood to splinters. "Dammit, Lucy!"

"I dangled what you wanted in front of you, purely to deny you. You're like a dog salivating at the piece of bacon hanging in front of your nose, so taking that bacon away teaches the dog that it's been bad. And you, Natsu have been a very bad boy."

He sneered in fury. "This is one thing I hated about dating you. You think of me as nothing but a pet. Do you treat Gray like a pet, too?"

"Gray is a much better man than you will ever be. He treats me like a lady, not like some toy to be humped." She took in the view of Natsu snarling in anger. It was _so_ worth waiting six months to see him like that, as angry at her for denying him as she had been at being rejected. "Do you regret it now, Natsu? Try to learn from this lesson. Don't play around with women. Don't forget that we have feelings, too. We feel sadness. We feel frustration. We feel anger. We feel … vindictive!"

Natsu's eyes narrowed, and the flames on his body simmered in a low glow, lighting up the shed in amber and crimson flickers. Lucy swallowed hard, thrilled to see that dark side of him again. When Natsu looked like that, he was almost too sexy to turn down.

Suddenly, he struck forward, and his mouth went to her neck like a snake to its prey. Lucy did not have time to react or push him away. Natsu bit her, then sucked viciously hard. Lucy cried out and shivered. Those lips burned so hotly, it was like a branding iron to her skin. When Natsu pulled back, there was a pink oval on the side of her neck, the mark of the Salamander.

"You're mine!" he snarled, then Natsu turned away and ran out of the shed.

Lucy touched her neck. Damn! She was being so careful to make sure Natsu left no marks on her, then he went and did that. How was she supposed to explain this hickey to Gray?

Her face dropped a little. "Sorry about that, Gray. I won't do it ever again. Just to teach him his lesson … this is the only time. I'm … so sorry!"

She felt immensely guilty as she fixed her clothes and straightened her hair. She touched the hickey again. How could she hide something like that? It was summer, turtlenecks were suspicious, she could not wear a scarf in the heat, and she had no choker necklace that was wide enough. Makeup would have to work until she could get Wendy to heal the bruise.

Still, she was happy. Her revenge was succeeding. If Natsu was even a little bit smart, he would walk away from this realizing he had to rethink how he treated women. For his sake, for Lisanna's sake, and for the sake of any future women who entered Natsu's life, Lucy honestly hoped this lesson sank in.

* * *

That night, Lucy sat alone, feeling conflicted. Despite using a lot of makeup to cover the hickey, her fingers still kept drifting up to it as memories troubled her. Although she let Natsu kiss her in order to deny him, she had forgotten how fiery his kisses were. The way he touched her was fierce and thrilling. Just thinking back on it made her heart pound.

Not that she wanted Natsu back! Hell no! She wanted to be happy with Gray. She truly loved him, but that afternoon—such infidelity for the sake of training Natsu to respect women—now left her conflicted. Even if he was that childish and inconsiderate—face it, Natsu was not known for maturity or thinking things through—her heart still felt the pang of yearning while he was touching her.

She set aside her book and dropped her head. What exactly were her feelings for Natsu? She had been so focused on vengeance, she never stopped to wonder how she honestly felt. Did she hate him? No … not completely. She liked him enough to date all those men and go through all this trouble, just to teach him that he had made a mistake when he did not take his girlfriend's feelings into consideration. Did she love him? Maybe a small part of her did, perhaps always would, but she definitely did not want to go back into a relationship with him, not unless he truly matured after this harsh lesson.

Did she miss him?

God, yes!

That wild dragon side of Natsu still haunted her dreams, nighttime fantasies filled with his roughness. When he made love, he ravaged her, ignoring protests, ignoring complaints, thoroughly conquering her body and burning her soul.

Lucy thought about those times now. Without realizing it, her hand had drifted away from the hickey and to her breast, recalling the way Natsu touched her, how his hot mouth felt on her nipples. She really wished Gray could be there right now to chase away those memories, because with the ache of the hickey on her neck and the recent reawakening of her body from Natsu's burning fingers, she found herself flushed and yearning.

Lucy put away her story and decided to take a bath. She quickly washed her hair while the bathtub filled. She added a little oil that smelled like sandalwood and ambergris. Then she eased into the steaming water.

She could hardly help but think about the heat, and a hot body smothering her. This aroma, the unique earthy musk of ambergris and the smoky incense quality of sandalwood, always reminded her of Natsu. As she eased down, the hot water tingled her feminine area. Then slowly, it went over her stomach, up to her breasts, like wet hands caressing over her body. The water enveloped her in boiling warmth.

Again, Lucy's hand drifted over her breasts. She looked at how the mounds floated in the water. The heat relaxed her nipples, making them soft again. She played with them, tugging them with a hazy, glazed look in her eyes of sensual sleepiness, and she willfully slipped into a fantasy. She looked at how the cold air made those pink nubs harden, but the hot water tried to soften them again. Then, with fantasies playing in her head and the smell of smoke and musk all around her, one hand plunged into the water to dive into that subaquatic cave between her legs.

As her fingers found the tiny button that made her want to moan, she thought of burning hot hands touching her. She recalled how Natsu had touched her that afternoon, and as she delved into those memories, she did the same thing as him, plunging her finger inside.

"Ahn!" she whispered, arching as her fingers ventured in. "Natsu, I really wish you never left me."

That was the truth! She had loved him so deeply that she was in denial for a long time when he broke up with her. She thought it must be a bad joke, or maybe a dare. Perhaps he said something like that because he was in trouble and he wanted to distance himself from her, like the hero in a drama. However, none of that was the case. He simply dumped her, leaving her with her emotions ignored and her lust unfulfilled.

Her fingers curled, trying to do the same thing Natsu could do. It was never as good doing it herself. She could never reach just right. Still, she felt the soft walls sucking her in, and she shifted her hips in the tub to get a better angle. Her eyes closed as she let her imagination run wild. The smell, the heat, these sensual touches, all reminded her of those passionate months. Her breathing came heavier. Her fingers plunged faster until her wrist began to hurt from the awkward angle. Lucy grabbed her breast rougher while her fingers pounded in.

Suddenly, her elbow hit a bottle on the side of the bathtub, spilling a lavender-mint oil in so thickly, it shoved aside the smoke and musk. Lucy jolted, grabbed the bottle with her slippery hand, and righted it, but not before over half the oil dumped into the bath.

This smell … peppermint, like a cold winter day, and lavender, a cooling smell that softened the reds and oranges of the sandalwood and ambergris into shades of blues and purples. This smell was like Gray, and as the water lost its initial heat, the chill and this smell overwhelmed her senses.

She settled back into the tub, and her fingers went back to their play. Fiery memories simmered to embers, and more recent memories swelling into her. The way Gray touched her was pure magic. Natsu might have the roughness she craved, but Gray had the gentle touch that truly sent her rocketing!

"Gray … ooooh Gray," she moaned

However, the cooler water was making it harder to loosen up, and the smell was truly overpowering. She reluctantly stopped, pulled the plug on the tub, and let some water drain out. Then she turned the faucet back onto just hot water. It refilled the tub, diluting the scented oils until both peppermint and sandalwood blended together along with the cold bath water and fresh hot water.

Hot and cold. Summer and winter. If she was a truly spoiled girl, she might try to get both boys to fall for her at the same time. That was a silly idea … but what an erotic fantasy! If she could get Natsu and Gray to work together—no chance in hell that would happen—she would love to have both the raw passion Natsu gave, and the tender attentiveness Gray showed her. To have both boys touching her in their unique ways, to have Gray as well as Natsu … oh, it was _so_ very wrong! And so very hot!

Her legs began to thrash in the water, seeking something to keep her anchored as her spirit shot into the heavens. She left off touching her breasts as her body craved more and more. One hand plunged in and out, the other sought out more pleasure, rubbing herself in relentless circles. Lucy gasped at the intensity.

"Yes … yes, like that," she keen to no one there, just the two imaginary men. "Slowly in and out for Gray, fast and crazy touching for Natsu. Yes … oh God, yes!"

Just as she thought that perhaps she could finally get herself off with her own hands, she heard the door in the other room unlock. Lucy flailed, turned off the water, and gasped as she tried to stop her body from its near-orgasm.

"Lucy?" came Gray's voice. "Sorry for just barging in. Are you home?"

"In the bathroom," she called out, a hand on her chest as her heart pounded painfully hard. "You're back early."

"It wasn't as hard as they thought it would be. That, or Lyon and I are just that good, haha! What did you do while I was gone?"

"Oh, not much," she said, calming her breath. "Just trained a puppy."

"Huh? A puppy?"

Her heart was aching in guilt for almost being caught masturbating. Her body still craved to be touched, but she could not do that now. Dammit, Gray had the worst timing!

Or maybe … the best!

With a smirk, Lucy got out of the bathtub and wrapped a towel around her. Then she stepped out still wet.

"I bought cookies on the way home, if you…" He turned to look at her and froze. Still wet, with a blend of fragrances he could not sort out, she was breathtaking, completely mesmerizing. "Damn," he whispered in awe.

Lucy walked right up to him, then let the towel drop moistly to the floor. Gray's throat hitched as he was overwhelmed by the beauty of her flawless skin.

"Cookies can wait," she said in a low, seductive voice. "I have a better dessert for you."

"Lucy…" He looked aroused but slightly reluctant. "I really am tired from the mission."

"Oh?" she asked coyly. She turned around flippantly and began to walk away. "If you don't want any, then I'll be in the bedroom easing my ache."

He stomped after her, grabbed her wrist, spun her around, and pressed her up against the wall. "You're a cruel woman, you know that!"

"Does that mean you're a masochist?" she teased.

He laughed brusquely and sniffed her skin. "Maybe so. Even if it hurts me, there's no way I can turn down the girl I love."

He kissed her hard and grasped her breasts. For a few seconds, the urgency in his body and roughness of his hands made Lucy think this was just like how Natsu had grabbed her, and the similarity shocked her. Then Gray's emotions cooled off, and his fingers became gentle, caressing her in a way that made her yearn for more, almost to the point of wanting to beg him to be rougher again.

Gray blew icy air against her neck. His lips began to drift down to her throat. Suddenly, Lucy remembered the hickey. If Gray saw it…

Fear of discovery jolted through her as she felt his lips drawing closer. She panicked, pulled away, and fled into the bedroom, escaping Gray before he could see. She gave a quick look in the mirror. The bath had washed off the makeup. That purple mark was there for all to see.

Guilt again made her sick to her stomach. Why had she let things with Natsu get that far? Teasing him to train him was one thing, but enjoying it and letting him touch her like that was despicable. Now that she had time to get over the memories, she felt only shame. She was little better than a whore, using her body like that! Never again! She loved Gray, and she would never tempt Natsu or any man like that again. She needed to have more respect for her own body.

She heard Gray stomping in after her, eager at the opportunity of a chase, and her guilt overwhelmed her.

"Turn off the lights," she ordered.

Gray chuckled as he flipped the light switch. She heard the rustling of fabric as he undressed. "You know I like it better with the lights on," he mentioned.

"It's erotic with them off, too," she said, trying to sound seductive rather than shameful. "Then I can't see what you're about to do. It's like being blindfolded."

"So I'll blindfold you."

"But this way…" She walked up to him in the dark, dropped to her knees silently, and licked his aroused cock. "…you can't see what I'm about to do, either."

Gray gasped that she was moving this quickly. As she began to suck on him in the dark, he stroked her head and chuckled at such eagerness. "I leave for half a day and you end up like this! I should go on more missions."

"Aww, but then I'm lonely," she complained with a pout, seductively rising up in a way so her body slithered against his.

"Hmm, don't want that to happen," he said, hissing a little as her moist skin rubbed over his burning erection. "I wouldn't want you to find some other guy to ease your aches."

Lucy froze, and she was really glad the darkness hid her face, because she knew she looked horrified right now. "Oh?" she asked, trying to keep her voice sultry. "What would you do if I did something like that?"

"Kill whoever dared to touch you," he answered, pressing her back until she collapsed onto the bed.

Her blood ran cold at his answer. "You'd … kill him?"

"And then I'd have to seriously punish you, my little vixen," he said with a light laugh. She wondered if he was really joking or not. "So don't ever do that. If you have an ache, just wait for me. I'll ease it … and I'll make sure you're too worn out to want another lover."

Lucy was still silent in shock and a bit of horror. What if Natsu talked about what happened that afternoon? What if he shouted at her about being such a tease? If Gray found out, he would beat Natsu to a pulp. She doubted—sincerely _hoped_ , really—that he would never actually try to kill Natsu, but still…

She really messed up!

She should have listened to Mira and Lisanna. Although she felt that teaching Natsu not to play around with girls was the right thing to do, she had used herself as the training tool. She regretted that now. As Gray's fingers slid over her skin like an ice skater over a pond, the guilt built up more and more. She felt a tear drip from her eyes.

She didn't deserve someone as wonderful as Gray!

That just meant she had to earn his love. She had to be the best girlfriend ever, completely loyal.

"I will never cheat on you like that, Gray," she swore wholeheartedly.

He laughed and nuzzled her neck, right where Natsu had left his mark. "I know, silly."

Then he nipped her there, the same place. Lucy felt a shameful rush of relief as he sucked on her skin. Now when Gray saw the bruise there in the morning, he would think it was his own mark. Yet Gray's trust in her pained Lucy's heart. She did not want to mess this up. She spread her legs for him, hoping that she could be the best lover for him, not just with her body, but with her whole soul.


	8. I Love You and Despise You

Gray decided to let Lucy sleep in. After all, it had been an exhausting night, and she had the love bruises to prove it. He lightly touched one on her neck, oddly a lot bigger than he thought it would be. He realized that anyone would be able to see a mark like that, and although he wanted the whole world to know Lucy was his, he figured that she probably needed time to cover up something like that.

He found his clothes, dressed, and slipped out silently to walk into the nearly empty street. The sun had just risen, chill still clung to the air, and silence reigned for this magical moment before the noise and heat of the day began. It was the time of day Gray loved: silent, cold, filled with hopes.

He went to the guild hall, where Mira had just started up a pot of coffee. She smiled and wordlessly handed him a steaming cup. He supposed he looked as worn out as he felt, and Mira knew better than to ask about the dark circles under his eyes. The blush on her cheeks and twinkle in her eyes showed that she knew perfectly well what happened.

Only a few people were in the building that early. Nab was once again at the mission board seeking that perfect request he would never find. Macao and Wakaba … seriously, it was like those two old guys never left the building.

Gray settled in a corner to watch the crowd slowly entering and to think. The previous night, when Lucy asked what he would do if she cheated on him, she had a odd pitch to her voice. Gray had said nothing about it at the time, lost in the moment of passion, but it troubled him now.

Which man could it be? Laxus was already with another woman, if rumors could be believed. Gajeel and Levy were pretty close, so probably not him. Loke had not showed his face since the breakup, but it was highly possible that he appeared out of nowhere to Lucy. Gray had to admit, he hated the fact that Loke could open his gate anywhere, at any time, and although he was the one who called it off with Lucy, there was never a precise reason given as to _why_ the playboy dumped her.

And then … there was Natsu.

Would Lucy actually go back to that hotheaded Dragon Slayer? Just the thought of it chilled Gray's blood. If that flame-brain dared to touch her, he would beat the living hell out of him, nakama or not!

But what if Lucy went back willingly?

No! He refused to believe that it was even possible. Lucy was known to flirt around from time to time, but she was not the sort of woman who would cheat on a person. Besides, Gray kept her so busy at night, she should be too sore to have an affair on the side.

But if she did…

His mind instantly shut down at the thought of it. Something, an internal defense mechanism perhaps, did not allow him to think about such a horrible possibility. Still, it worried Gray. Things seemed to be perfect with Lucy. She was fun, smart, and strong; she did not mind his stripping habit, he felt comfortable talking with her, and she was damn good in bed. Really, it was perfect.

Too perfect.

And that troubled Gray.

* * *

_"I wouldn't want you to find some other guy to ease your aches."_

_"What would you do if I did something like that?"_

_"Kill whoever dared to touch you."_

_"You'd … kill him?"_

_"And then I'd have to seriously punish you, my little vixen. So don't ever do that."_

* * *

He had said those words so lightly, almost jokingly, but he meant it in all fatalistic seriousness. If Lucy ever cheated on him, he would probably go insane from the bitter feeling of betrayal. He probably really would be tempted to kill a person in the heat of passion and throes of despair.

These dark worries were interrupted by a man in a suit standing right in front of him, appearing out of nowhere. Either Loke had just opened his gate, or Gray really was not paying attention to his surroundings. The distrust Gray felt still showed in his face when he looked up and glared at the Celestial Spirit.

"Do you have a problem, Loke?" he asked caustically.

The Lion sat down at the table. "I thought you should know, Lucy summoned me yesterday."

Gray's fears surged in him. That forbidden area of his mind, where darkness hid just barely out of view, threatened to crack open. "She … called you out? Why?" he demanded, shivering slightly, wondering if he really wanted to hear about it. As his fist tightened, his knuckles cracked.

"For a fight," Loke told him, seeing the barely-suppressed rage. "She went on a mission yesterday. Did she tell you about it?"

Gray's tension eased up. Just for a mission, eh? Using her spirit keys for something like that was normal, after all. "She … no, she didn't say anything about it. We … um … didn't really have time to talk." He recalled she said something about training a puppy, but after that it was all sex.

"The enemy was only a little troubling, but I realized something in the brief time that I was fighting. I thought you should know." Loke looked guilty for snitching, but he also appeared to be worried. "Natsu was with her. I noticed you weren't around. I came back here after the mission, and Mira said you were away. Now, it's none of my business, but Lucy is my master. I love her, and I worry about her. I want her happiness, but I'm worried about who she's more happy with: you … or Natsu?"

Gray shook his head. It didn't make sense! A fight? A mission? And with Natsu? "Lucy said nothing about a mission, and I told her that morning to stay away from Natsu. She wouldn't have gone behind my back like that. And what's this about you being in love with her when you're the one who broke up with her?" he snapped peevishly.

"Look, that's not the issue here," Loke insisted. "I broke up with Lucy for a reason. I saw it early on, but obviously you haven't noticed it yet. It's the same reason Laxus broke up with her, and why Gajeel left her. She uses people. Right now, she's either using you or she's using Natsu, I don't know which, but I don't like it."

"I don't want to hear you lying and badmouthing my girlfriend," Gray warned.

Mira came over hesitantly. "Sorry, I overheard a little." She looked over to Gray. "Lucy really did go on a mission yesterday," she told him, "and Natsu went with her."

Gray scoffed at that. "That bastard probably just stalked her."

Mira shook her head. "She asked him to go. She said she wanted to still be friends with Natsu. I don't think it's something to get worried about, Loke." She patted the Celestial Spirit's back. "Lucy and Natsu can still be friends and go on missions, right?"

Loke assured her, "That's fine, if that's all they're doing. I just thought it was a little weird, that's all."

"Then let it drop," Gray growled. He and Lucy needed a serious talk, if she really was sneaking behind his back and doing missions with other men.

"Gray," Loke said, looking at him with a bit of worry, "don't get mad at people before you hear them out completely. I'm just trying to warn you. Lucy is using her boyfriends in a plot for revenge. Why do you think I left her when I love her so much?"

Gray sprang from his chair and leaned over the table, knocking over his coffee cup. An ice knife was in his hands, and the glittering white blade pressed against Loke's throat. "Say those words again and I will send you back to the Spirit World the _hard way_."

"Gray!"

He pulled back at Lucy's yell and saw her standing in the guild doorway. Instantly, he backed off and let the knife vanish into twinkling bits of ice. Lucy walked over to them and sat by Gray's side.

"Why are you threatening one of my Spirits?" she asked.

Gray sneered over at Loke. How could this playboy say he loved her? How dare he claim that when he was accusing Lucy of such horrible, shameful things.

"He was talking shit about you. Sorry if it pissed me off a bit."

She sighed and glared over at Loke. "Leave … now! Before I force-close your gate."

Loke rose from the table and looked at those two. This was wrong, all wrong! He could see the possessiveness in Gray's face, and Lucy looked mad as hell, yet fear was in her eyes along with the anger. Loke closed his eyes and shook his head. He had known enough humans in his existence to see the signs. He just sincerely hoped that when this psychotic, twisted love ended, Lucy would call upon him to protect her from the rage of both Gray and Natsu.

"Loke, this is an order," she said sternly. "Don't come out again until I summon you."

He nodded in understanding. She wanted to hide her sins. Fine! Gray was a smart guy. He was probably starting to figure it out anyway.

"I'll be going then," he muttered. "Be careful, Lucy. You too, Gray." Then Loke vanished in a golden flash.

Lucy sighed. It was bad enough that she had rushed here as soon as she woke up, worried what might happen if Natsu got to Gray first and told him about yesterday. Now she had to worry about Loke, too. Loke, who figured her out in such a short period of time, could appear to Gray anywhere, at any time.

All she wanted was for this thing with Gray to work out, to have a little fun in her life after six months of depressing hell, yet her past deeds kept coming up to haunt her.

"A protein shake, Lucy?" Mira asked after a few moments of tense silence.

"Ah … yeah, thanks." While the bartender left to fetch her breakfast, Lucy looked over to Gray. "Look, I…"

"Is he right?" Gray demanded angrily.

Lucy flinched back at the harsh tone. "I don't know what he said," she pointed out.

"He said you went on a mission with Natsu. You didn't say anything about it last night."

"We didn't really _talk_ last night," she muttered with a blush.

"I already warned you, I don't want you being near Natsu," Gray insisted sternly.

"Look, I was just trying to be friendly with him," she lied, feeling bitterness in her stomach.

"I don't like it, okay!" he snapped.

Lucy backed down at the shout, and a few people in the guild looked over in worry. The fierceness in Gray's eyes worried her.

"Okay," she whispered, shivering a little. "I'll stay away from him."

He nodded, trusting her to keep her word. Then the anger flowed away. "I'm sorry," Gray muttered, realizing he was being a real jerk about this. "I just don't trust Natsu."

Lucy weaved her hands around his arm and hugged it while resting her chin on his shoulder. "Do you trust me?"

He smiled down into those huge, brown eyes and stroked her golden head. "Of course I do." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Do you forgive me?"

"You should always forgive the ones you love," she smiled.

He rubbed his nose against hers, but still refrained from kissing her in public. "I don't deserve you."

"Too bad, you're stuck with me," she teased, sneaking a kiss to his cheek and instantly blushing for doing that much in the middle of the guild.

The breakfast shake arrived, and Gray got more coffee to replace the cup he knocked over. The guild had already forgotten about the little argument between Gray and Loke. Morning brought more members. Laughter and shouts filled the hall. Lucy waved excitedly to Levy, then she leaned over and whispered to Gray to point out the red mark on the side of her friend's neck.

"Much like your mark," he whispered back, feeling smug when she blushed brightly.

Lucy's heart plummeted a little when he pointed it out. She had hurried to the guild so fast, she forgot to cover the purplish-red mark. The weight of not telling him how she originally got that hickey churned her stomach.

Eventually, Natsu entered the guild hall, but this time without Happy. He looked haggard, as if he had been out all night, and the darkness under his eyes showed lack of sleep. Lucy watched him, trying not to make it obvious. Luckily, Natsu walked straight to the bar, got a drink, and went to the mission board. Lucy still waited in tense anticipation. There was no way he would let yesterday go without at least some mention.

Natsu apparently did not pick a mission for the day. He sat across the room, but his eyes were firmly on her. Every time she glanced over to him, those dark green eyes were narrow and piercing. Gray might teasingly call Natsu _Squinty Eyes_ , but those eyes could strike terror into anyone when filled with hate like that. She tried not to look over too often. Those eyes terrified her and thrilled her. They were eyes that threatened revenge and promised seduction. She began to shiver under the intensity of his stare.

She was ready to tempt Gray into going back home with her, using sex once again as an excuse, anything to escape the inevitable confrontation. However, before she could pull his attention away from Elfman, pink hair loomed over her. Natsu glared down at Lucy, then shifted his eyes to Gray. They both looked up with varying expressions of fear and loathing.

"You have a lot of nerve," he seethed.

Gray leaped up and slammed his hands on the table as he leaned over into the Dragon Slayer's face. "Ya got a problem, squinty-eyes?"

"Yeah, in fact, I do."

"Natsu…" Lucy gasped in warning.

"You're with the girl I love, droopy-eyes."

The anger from earlier, hearing Loke declare that he still had feelings for Lucy, surged once more. Instead of a knife, Gray punched Natsu in the face, sending him stumbling backwards. Lucy gasped, and Levy tried to pull her out of the way of the impending fight.

"She's my girlfriend now, asshole!" Gray bellowed. "You keep your hands off of her."

"Oh really?" Natsu laughed, wiping some blood off from his nose. "Is that what she wants, though?"

Lucy pulled away from Levy and walked up beside Gray to face the Dragon Slayer solidly. "I told you yesterday, Natsu. Gray is my boyfriend, so just give up already. Learn your lesson, learn to treat women with more respect, and leave me alone."

"Leave you alone?" Gray questioned, and he nearly leaped at Natsu. "What the hell did you do to her yesterday, you pervert?"

"Gray," Lucy warned, holding him back. "I cleared it up already. Natsu, I don't need to tell you again. I love Gray, not you."

"You're lying!" the Dragon Slayer sneered. "You do love me. Deep down inside, you will always belong to me. Even if you don't realize it, you're mine. I marked you, right…" He looked to the bruise on her neck and saw it had a different shape. Natsu's teeth clenched. In soft words brimming with disgust, he sneered, "That's not my mark."

Lucy touched her neck in self-consciousness. "Because I'm not yours, Natsu."

"Wrong, Lucy. You will always be my treasure, and I will hoard you. You'll be my woman again … whether you want it or not."

The guild fell silent at such vicious words.

Elfman softly warned, "Natsu, that's not manly."

"I don't care!" Natsu sneered. "I don't care what you think, and I don't care what Lucy claims, and I sure as hell don't give a fuck about what that stripper thinks."

Gray stomped up to Natsu, glaring right into his eyes. "Touch her, and I swear I will kill you."

Mira gasped at the threat. "Gray! Don't!"

Natsu smirked up at him. "She's going to come back to me some day, and I'll laugh my ass off at you."

"Hey!" Lucy shouted. "What do you think I am, some prize to fight over?"

Both boys looked a little guilty. They had both thought something like that at some point.

"I'm no one's property. I decide who I want to love." She reached up and caressed Gray's cheek; he smiled haughtily at her affection. "Gray is the man I picked. You need to grow up and accept that, Natsu."

Around them, the guild began to mutter. Natsu glared from side to side as he heard all the whispers clearly.

"She's right, she's not a trophy."

"You can't force someone to love you."

"Shouldn't have broken her heart in the first place."

"At least she finally settled down with one guy."

"They're a cute couple, Gray and Lucy."

"Good for her, standing up to him like that!"

"Men are such idiots."

"You lost your chance, Natsu."

Natsu shook his head wildly. "Wrong! You're all _wrong!_ She's _mine!_ "

With an enraged shout, both of his fists swung down. Gray yanked Lucy out of the way, but their aim was just behind the two, to the table where they had been sitting. Those flaming fists slammed into the table, crushing it into splinters set on fire. Lucy hid behind Gray, trembling at the madness in Natsu's face, and he held his arm out to block her protectively from the raging Dragon Slayer. Natsu stood there, hunched over the demolished table, panting hard at the outburst. Then his face swung over to the blonde. She felt as if her heart had stopped in terror.

"Lucy," the Dragon Slayer said in fatalistic softness and a fiery gleam in his eyes. "I love you…" Then his face mutated into something hideous with pure hatred. "…and _despise_ you!"

She gulped hard and hid a little more behind Gray. The ice wizard felt her clinging hands shivering. If they were not in the middle of the guild, he probably really would beat Natsu into a coma just for scaring Lucy like this.

Finally, Makarov stepped up to stop the confrontation. "Natsu, Gray, Lucy." All three looked over at the tiny man. "Go home, all of you. And Natsu…"

"Fuck you!" the Dragon Slayer roared. "Fuck all of you!" He ran out of the guild hall with tears in his eyes.

Lucy silently watched him go. She realized that this was what she had wanted all along, to humiliate Natsu, to turn him down in front of everyone and let him experience the heartache she had felt the day he dumped her in front of all of her friends. She had succeeded. Her revenge worked precisely according to plan.

She should feel happy … but she didn't! She had treated Natsu as selfishly as he treated her.

In the end, she was no different than him.

Gray took Lucy's hand and pulled her out of the guild. She stumbled along numbly. Natsu's words of hatred rang in her ears. No one had ever yelled at her like that before, let alone a friend she cared for deeply.

As they walked toward Gray's house, Lucy looked up to the ice wizard. She hated that she used him for this. Natsu could have blown everything, and there was no guarantee that he would never mention that mission and what really happened. She would either have to explain it to Gray, or live with the fear of exposure every day of her life.

"I'm sorry," she whispered almost too quietly to be heard over the noise of the city.

Gray squeezed her hand. "Don't worry about it. Natsu's a hothead. It's not your fault."

Her eyes dropped. She meant that she was sorry she had betrayed Gray, and sorry she did not have the courage to tell him the truth yet. She would, though. She had to clear up all of this. Even if it led to them breaking up, she had to come clean with the truth.

Just … not today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _The GrayLu youtube video "Super Psycho Love" is one year old today. Moonlessnight126 has received over 47,000 hits...probably a hundred them are mine, haha! You can see the video at[youtu.be/bxk1LwjcJ10](http://youtu.be/bxk1LwjcJ10) and leave her a message thanking her for inspiring me to write this fanfic based on her outstanding anime music video._


	9. Bedroom Eyes to Those Before Me

Gray and Lucy laughed in her home as they drank wine and playfully touched one another, never so physically as to hint at sex, but enough to tantalize and tease, then back away for more alcohol. Lucy felt light after such a tense few days, terrified that Natsu might say something about her actions on their mission together. Luckily, he had not shown up in the guild since then. She did not know where he was, nor did she care at the moment. The boy had issues, and she sincerely hoped he was working through them.

"Ya know what I've never tried?" Gray said unsteadily, tipsy but still drinking. "Fuckin' an ass."

"I've fucked an ass," Lucy said, and Gray gawked at her. She giggled. "I slept with Natsu."

Gray was just drunk enough to find that hilarious, and they leaned against one another in giggles. "Nah, I mean doin' it anal. We should totally try it some day."

"How about on my birthday?" she suggested. "You can _break me in_ then. My ass is virgin, after all."

"'Zat so?" he slurred. He reached around to rub her soft backside mounds. "Mmm, a virgin ass … all mine. I can break you in, make you squeal," he said in a low, delicious threat. "Get my cock all filthy with your ass."

Lucy moaned at the thought of it. It sounded so wrong, so dirty … so hot!

"I'm not sure if I want to wait two whole days until your birthday." Once again, his hands rubbed to entice her, moving up off the tush, over her hips, and sliding up to her breasts, only to pull back before she got too carried away. "However, I suppose I'll need supplies to try something like that, which I don't have." He rose unsteadily from the couch and grabbed hold of the table as the world went spinning for a moment. "Wow, I drank a lot," he laughed, and walked over to where he had thrown off his pants.

Lucy pouted as she watched him pulling on his discarded clothes. "Leaving already? You know, you could stay the night." She tried to give him her most seductive gaze, sweeping up over his abs, firm pectorals, and licking her lips as she finally made eye contact.

"Immensely tempting, but I have some special things to pick up in Hargeon Town tomorrow."

"Oh?" she smirked. "Could it be a present for my birthday?"

"You'll just have to wait and find out," he chuckled. "I'll need to sleep off this hangover, so I probably won't be back until late tomorrow. I'll see you on your birthday. Be good while I'm gone."

"I'm always good," she said seductively.

"Don't I know it!" he chortled, glancing over her svelte body. "But really, if I stay, we both know what we'll do, and I won't wake up in time to catch the train. Sweet dreams, Lucy."

"Good night, Gray. Safe travel."

He gave her one last kiss and a pat on the rump. "Save it a little longer for me," he said with a wink. "Oh, and while I'm gone … don't touch yourself."

Lucy was momentarily confused.

"I don't want you to pleasure yourself. Only I can do that. Got it? I want you to _crave_ me when I get back."

"I'm craving you right now, Gray," she smirked.

"Yeah, but … I want you moist at just the thought of me coming back home to you. So don't touch yourself."

She shook her head at such possessive behavior, but she decided to humor him. "Same goes to you, then."

"My own hands are nowhere near as delicate as yours," he said lustfully. "I think I'd go insane if I couldn't have your touch."

She ran her finger slowly along his jawline. "Then I'm gonna make you psychotic. I'll have you _beg_ for it, Gray."

"Oh God," he moaned, and he grabbed her hand to suck on that teasing finger. "I really do need to go or else I'm gonna fuck you right into the wall. Your neighbors didn't like it the last time we tried that."

"They didn't, but I did."

"I could tell!" Gray gave her one final kiss on the lips. "I really love you, Lucy. Good night."

Before he could tempt himself more, Gray turned and left out of the apartment building. The summer night helped his mind to clear from the sleepiness of alcohol, leaving Gray giddy and feeling like he could sing to the world. As he walked unsteadily down the empty streets, he laughed softly to himself, wildly in love. He could hardly imagine how miserable his life must have been before Lucy entered it. So alone! He couldn't go back to a life like that. He couldn't even begin to imagine something so depressing. He wanted her by his side forever.

She really was intoxicating, maddening, thrilling…

And he was trapped in her web.

Gray decided on a detour to the guild first. If he was going to Hargeon Town anyway, perhaps he could do a mission along the way, earn some money, and take Lucy to a truly exquisite restaurant for her birthday. Fine wine, savory food, a violinist playing love songs, all set to candlelight was the perfect romantic settle to give her the gift he had waiting in the port town.

He entered in good spirits, waving to Cana but turning down a drinking contest as he headed to the mission board. However, he noticed Happy slumped at the bar with a glass of tuna juice. It was unusual to see the blue Exceed looking so gloomy. Privately, Gray wondered if maybe he had heard the rumors going around about Charle and Pantherlily. Mira was trying to cheer Happy up, so out of curiosity and a bit of worry—Happy was his teammate, after all—Gray listened in.

"He's just not himself," the Exceed told the pretty white-haired bartender. "Natsu gets cranky sometimes, even grumpy, maybe angry if it's about Gray—"

The ice wizard huffed at that.

"—but never like this. He's … scary. His eyes … they aren't the same. He keeps muttering to himself. When I try to talk to him, he screams at me. He … he…" Happy sniffled as tears welled into his huge eyes. "He tried to hit me! Natsu has never done that, not on purpose. He's really, really scary."

Mira stroked his blue fur. "That doesn't sounds safe at all. You can sleep at our house. Lisanna will like that. Hopefully Natsu will calm down."

Gray picked a flier from the mission board. As he gave it to Mira, he patted Happy's head. "Natsu's probably going through a crisis of puberty or something," he said. "Don't let it get to you."

"But … but he growls, and he yells at nothing, and he makes weird noises in the bedroom."

Gray's and Mira's eyes met at that, and both blushed at what Happy most likely meant. "Yep … puberty," Gray muttered. "Give him some space."

"Gray," Happy pouted. "Natsu really hates you. Not like before. He…" Happy looked away with shame. "I shouldn't tattle."

Mira patted his blue head. "You're not tattling, you're warning."

Happy nodded, only slightly reassured. "A few times, he's said he wants to … to … to kill you. He sounded serious this time. It wasn't his normal 'I'm gonna kill that stripper' way of saying it. And … and he says bad things about Lucy. I really don't like when he says things like that."

Gray was fine hearing that Natsu wanted a fight to the death with him, but hearing a threat toward Lucy made all the muscles in his body instantly tense up. He swung a glance to Mira, and her eyes were also filled with uncertainty.

"Dammit, that bastard," Gray sneered. "If he touches her…" He did not want to respond with yet another death threat and scare Happy even more, so he held back his anger. "Mira, I have to leave tomorrow and won't be back until late. Please have someone look after Lucy."

She nodded firmly. "Right!"

Gray silently cursed that he had to leave now. For a moment, he seriously considered canceling the trip, even if it meant Lucy would not get her birthday present. However, he doubted someone like Natsu would actually hurt Lucy. He was an idiotic flame-brain, but he was not the sort of person who hurt friends. Putting his trust into that protective side of Natsu's personality, Gray left back home. Still, something nagged the back of his mind. Just what sort of bad things did Natsu say? He should have asked Happy more questions, if only to alleviate his fears.

Mira had the sense to ask more, but not until Gray was gone. She had her own bad suspicions about where this psychotic love triangle was heading. "What does Natsu say about Lucy?"

Happy rested his head against the bar counter next to his tuna juice. "He says she's still in love with him, and he says she really wants him back, and he's gonna get her back and make her so happy she'll stay. It sounds good, but then he starts to scream that he'll lock her away. I don't like the sound of that at all. Then he locks the bedroom door on me and says 'Lucy, oh God, Lucy' like he used to do when they were dating. He smiled at me once, but it was a scary smile, and he said 'Lucy still kisses as good as ever.' Then he kept saying things I didn't understand about how she feels wet and soft. I don't get it, but I didn't like his smile. His eyes were scary."

Mira covered her mouth. She was thankful Gray had not heard that. "She still … kisses and touches … with Natsu?" she whispered in broken phrases of dread. "Oh dear." She looked to the door where Gray had gone out. When Gray found out about Lucy and Natsu … this was not going to end well. No matter how things turned out, an explosive confrontation was inevitable.

* * *

Back in Natsu's house, the Dragon Slayer fitfully tried to sleep. However, every time he began to doze off, Lucy's face haunted him. He woke with a jolt, then rolled over and tried to sleep again.

"Get out of my head," he growled, tossing a pillow over his face. "Just get out of my head!"

He knew she would haunt him tonight, just like many other nights. Natsu leaped out of bed and walked around the house, lighting the night with only a flame from his hand.

"Happy?" he called out, listening and sniffing. "Oi, are you back yet, Happy?"

He heard nothing but the songs of crickets. He returned to his bedroom, reassured that he was alone. He put on some music. It was always easier to do this sort of thing when he could escape in a song.

 _Something lately drives me crazy,_  
_Has to do with how you make me_  
_Struggle to get your attention,_  
_Calling you brings apprehension._  
_Text from you and sex from you_  
_Are things that are not so uncommon._  
_Flirt with you, you're all about it._  
_Tell me why I feel unwanted._

The heavy bass pounded through his head as Natsu stripped off his pants and underwear before collapsing into bed. A spit on the palm of his hand, and that was it. He stroked himself quickly, eager to get it over with. He hated the way his hand felt. It was too harsh. Now that he knew what a woman felt like inside, that softness and moist heat, it was the only thing that could truly satisfy him.

Yet he had tossed her aside because he thought she wasn't as fun as a girlfriend should be. What an idiot!

"Lucy," he moaned softly at the first few long, fast strokes.

Natsu pulled out a picture of her he kept by his bed. He held it close to his face, staring at her brown eyes and he tried to remember how she used to feel. His fingers ran over his cockhead as he remembered how good she used to give blow jobs and stroke him off in the shower.

"I want you back. I know you want me, too. If you didn't, you wouldn't have acted that way. Like such … such a slut. Oh God, yes," he flinched, remembering her mouth and how wet she felt when he slipped his fingers inside her in that moldy, abandoned farm building. "You want me. You need me. You're gonna be with me! To hell with anyone."

However, as he remembered her, he also saw the way she had smiled at Laxus and those batting eyes as she gazed upon the lightning Dragon Slayer. He saw in his mind how her finger used to caress his jagged scar as she listened to his headphones, wrapped up in his massive arms, with his coat pulled around both of them as they sat in a corner of the guild hall.

Natsu gasped and shook his head. "No. Don't recall that."

Then he remembered the laugh she had when Gajeel once grabbed her and swung her around as if she weighed nothing. She had squealed with happiness, then kissed the piercings on his brows, flushed and giddy.

"Don't … don't remember!"

He recalled the regal stride of her and Loke entering the guild hall, like the King of Beasts with his Queen of Hearts. Loke was boldly vocal about how he adored Lucy, and whenever he kissed her, Lucy's cheeks flushed like they never did with any other guy.

"Stop!" Natsu screamed. "Stop thinking about them!"

Then he saw Lucy and Gray standing before him. They looked good together, it was obvious to everyone. When Lucy stroked Gray's cheek, the Ice-Make wizard glared with a smug look of triumph. Those icy blue eyes showed that Gray knew quite well that he had won over Natsu.

Her cruel words haunted him. " _Gray is the man I picked. You need to grow up and accept that, Natsu._ "

"NO!" He smashed the picture of Lucy with a flaming fist. "I won't accept that. You're mine! Mine!" He stroked himself faster. "I will get you, Lucy. I will show you who's the better lover. I will make you pick me. You don't have a choice. You're my mate, the woman I marked, and no one is going to have you. I'll kill that fucking stripper, and I'll ravage you until you remember nothing but me. Not him, not Loke, not Gajeel or Laxus or any of those other men. Only me! I will pound it into you. I'll … I'll … Fuck!" he shrieked as he felt his whole body drawing to a sudden, intense climax. He stroked faster, rougher, desperate for release now. "I'm gonna fuck you until you forget everything but me. I'll tie you up on this bed and never let you leave my side ever again." His back arched up, and he grunted in jolts, "You … will … be … _miiiiine!_ " The last word was drawn out as Natsu released with a shout.

Thick white fluid covered the broken picture and splattered over the smiling face of Lucy. It dripped, smearing the glass. Natsu huffed wearily, exhausted that the release this time felt so much more powerful than usual. He stared up at the ceiling, gasping in exhaustion. Then as he moved, he heard glass tinkling. He looked over and saw the shattered picture frame now splattered with viscous white fluid. Seeing his semen on her face like that brought back memories.

Natsu chuckled softly, then a little louder, then he laughed openly. It was funny. So damn funny! She had cum all over her face. The blonde bitch was filthy, after all. A filthy little whore! Natsu laughed with wide, crazy eyes.

"That's right, Lucy. Do you see that? I marked you. I was the very first to mark you. You're mine. Mine, mine, mine," he cackled. "I'm not letting anyone else have you. I'll get you back … no matter what it takes! I'll make you remember just who you belong to. I'll _force_ that memory back into you. And if that damn ice bastard won't leave you alone … I'll just have to get rid of him. No one will take you away from me. I won't let you escape me ever again."

He leaned into the picture and licked her face, semen and all. His tongue caught on a shard of glass and began to bleed. However, Natsu was too far gone to even notice anymore. He licked up the blood on the shattered picture with a creepy, insane, snarling grin.

Meanwhile, the song playing through the steamy room ended:

 _Aim, pull the trigger_.  
_Feel the pain getting bigger_.  
_Go insane from the bitter feeling_.  
_Trippin' super psycho love._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _The lyrics are part of Simon Curtis' "Super Psycho Love" and go along with the AMV this story is based upon._


	10. You're Not Gonna Get Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I deeply apologize for the unannounced hiatus. Honestly, this chapter intimidated the hell out of me._
> 
> _This is the chapter where NaLu fans turn rabid and hate Rhov forever. To keep people from hunting me down, let me remind everyone that this fanfic is based on the Fairy Tail AMV "Super Psycho Love." This scene was a major part of that video, and may I say, Moonlessnight126 edited it in a way that looks amazing!_
> 
> _Now that I have an alibi that might appease everyone who may despise me, on with the story! Finally!_

Lucy got ready for bed, a routine she had done for years: bathe, brush her teeth, comb her hair, take her pills…

Except when she went to take her birth control pill, the bottle was empty.

"Darn," she whispered. "I thought for sure I had enough for this week."

It was too late to go to the pharmacy for more. She knew that skipping one dose would be fine. She just had to make sure she took it tomorrow. Besides, Gray was out of town, so one skip was not a problem. She laid down in bed and fell asleep looking at the stars.

Since Gray was away on his mission, she let herself sleep in, then took her time getting ready that morning. First, she had to head to the pharmacy. Then she wanted to do some shopping with Levy, since tomorrow was Lucy's birthday. She hoped to get a little something special to wear for Gray, a present just for him. She could have gone alone, but she wanted to see Levy's panicking face as she looked at all the lingerie in the sex shop. She could probably convince Levy to buy something to wear for Gajeel, too. Those two were so hard to hook up, Lucy bet they had not even gotten to second base.

It was almost noon when she finally stepped out, and she hummed as she walked along the wall of the canal, waving to the boatmen who called out to her, with Plue following and mimicking her. She was almost at the pharmacy when she heard a voice that made her heart leap.

"Yo, Lucy!"

She stopped sharply, and with nervous stiffness, she turned around to see Natsu jogging up with a beaming smile.

"Whatcha up to?"

He sure sounded like the old Natsu. "Not much. I need to get some medicine."

His eyes widened in concern. "Are you sick? Should you be out of bed?" He sounded so much like the old friend who always worried about her. It was heartwarming to see that sort of Natsu once again.

"No, not sick, just…" She knew that if she mentioned _birth control_ to Natsu, this playful and normal side to him might vanish. "It's not a big deal. So where are you headed? The guild is the other way."

"I was about to go to your house, but I smelled you this way."

"Go … to my house?" Why was he searching for her? She worried a little, but his beaming grin dispelled her anxiety.

"I'm glad I caught up to you," he said cheerfully.

Lucy let out a tiny laugh. "Weirdo," she muttered. She forgot how much she missed Playful Natsu.

Happy flew forward from the opposite direction. "There you are, Natsu. Lucy, are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?" she asked, worried if maybe she had a hickey showing. She was pretty sure she had covered all of those up with makeup.

Happy looked ready to talk, but his round eyes suddenly darted past her and widened in fear. Lucy quickly looked back to Natsu. If he had been doing anything, he wasn't anymore. A smile was still beaming on his face.

"Nothing," Happy muttered.

"Hey, I know!" Natsu shouted cheerfully. "How about all of us get lunch? I passed a bakery, and it smelled really delicious."

Lucy almost passed up his offer, but if Natsu was trying to be friendly, then she figured she should play along, too. With Gray out of town, it was a good time to talk to Natsu, and a public place meant he could not react too badly. Besides, she slept through breakfast, so she was definitely hungry.

They left, just the three of them—plus Plue—like old times. Natsu was bubbly, his antics made Lucy laugh, and for a while it was as if nothing at all had changed. They were simply nakama, teammates, friends … and that was how Lucy preferred things to be.

* * *

In the guild, Mira was talking to Makarov about Happy's worries for Natsu and his possible threats toward Lucy.

"I could be wrong," the white-haired lady said, hoping to convince herself of that, too. "I mean, we're just going off what Happy said, and maybe he misunderstood Natsu's meaning."

The guild master stroked his chin. "What do your instincts tell you, Mira?"

She frowned at that sort of question. "My instincts … say that Lucy played a game with people's hearts, and now she's about to lose."

Makarov frowned at her honest assessment. He had learned over the decades to trust the intuition of women. "Natsu hasn't been acting himself lately. When you see either him or Lucy, inform me. We need to talk to Natsu, possibly even get him psychological counseling if he's becoming as bad as Happy said. Just to be safe, we should assign someone to watch over Lucy."

"She has her Celestial Spirits."

"Yes, but I'm not sure if even Loke could win against Natsu. It's best to have someone we know for sure is stronger than that wild boy. Can I trust that task to you, Mira?"

"Of course, Master. Should I leave to her place now?"

"Yes. Hopefully she's still home. Don't tell her about what Happy said, though. If this turns out to be nothing, I'd rather not implicate Natsu falsely."

"I'll head to her place right away, then."

Mira trotted out of the guild hall and made her way to Strawberry Street. As she walked down the main avenue, she did not see the café where Natsu, Lucy, and Happy were eating lunch.

* * *

A few minutes later, the four friends left the café, stomachs full, spirits high, and even Happy seemed to have forgotten all about the troubles of the past few weeks as he played with Plue. Natsu and Lucy were laughing together. Then she saw a fleck of food on Natsu's face.

"Sheesh, such a messy eater," she teased.

She reached up and wiped it aside with her finger. However, it was a moist bit of sauce, so she licked it off, sucking her finger clean. Natsu watched her closely with a gleam in his eyes and a slight bite to his lower lip that Lucy did not see.

"Hey Lucy," he said brightly. "I wanna talk to you about something."

"Eh? What?"

"Something special. Is that okay?"

Something special? She wondered if maybe he was planning to get help for his issues. Then again, knowing Natsu, it was probably something dumb. "Okay, sure. I still need to go to the store though, so I hope this won't take long."

"That depends," he said quietly, leading her through the streets.

After a while, Lucy realized they were heading out of town and toward the woods where Natsu and Happy lived. Of course, whatever he had to show her must be at his house. However, while Lucy walked on ahead up the path, Natsu fell back. She realized how far ahead she was and looked back in confusion.

"Go on," Natsu urged brightly. "I gotta talk to Happy."

He still grinned in his playful way. Lucy sighed and shook her head. Seriously, what were these two planning? Was this a surprise party for her birthday? Did the idiot think her birthday was today instead of tomorrow? She decided to let Natsu have his fun and continued up the forest path with Plue beside her.

Natsu watched Lucy go, waited a bit, and then looked down to Happy. "Go back to the guild," he ordered.

Happy trembled at the fierce glare in Natsu's eyes. "What are you planning to do?"

"I need to talk to Lucy … alone. She's going to come live with us soon."

"She … she is?" Happy asked in excitement. Natsu was so much better when Lucy was around the house.

"Yep. I'm gonna try to make her happy. I've gotta!" he said with determination. "But first, I need to patch up a few things. I need to do it on my own. This is between me and Lucy now."

"But Natsu…"

"Grownup time, Happy," he snapped.

The blue cat froze, then dropped his head. "Is that so? I guess if she's gonna live with us again … you two had a lot of grownup time back then."

"Yeah, we did," he said with a sad smile. "And we're gonna have more grownup time. She'll be with us again, and it's gonna be wonderful. We'll be a family."

"Family?" Happy said in shock.

Natsu leaned over and patted Happy on the head. "Would you like Lucy as your mother?"

"Aye, sir!"

"Me too. She'll come back to us, and we'll be a family. I just need a little grownup time."

"If you say so. Should I stay with Wendy and Charle again?"

"Yeah … stay the night with them."

"Okay. I hope you and Lucy can be happy again."

"Me too, Happy."

Wings appeared on his back, and the Exceed flew off back toward town.

Natsu glanced back to Lucy walking down the path. He growled under his breath, "We're gonna be a family … no matter what!"

He quickly caught up with her, beaming brightly. Lucy smiled over, but she looked a bit worried. With Happy gone, it was just her and Natsu. She picked Plue up and hugged him, secretly worried. Maybe coming into the woods alone with Natsu was a bad idea.

They came to a clearing and Natsu suddenly stopped. Lucy jolted and looked back. One of her hands drifted to the pouch of keys. She was still on guard around him, although she wanted to think he was back to his normal, silly self.

"Lucy." Natsu's voice sounded so sad, it startled her. "What do I have to do to get you back? Just tell me. I'll do anything. If you want me to change, I'll change. If you want me to be more mature, I'll try, I really will." His face tensed up with depressed anguish. "I need you back, Lucy. Happy and I want you back with us. Please. We wanna be a family again."

"Natsu…" She pouted at how sincerely sorry he sounded.

"If I'm messing up, if I'm not the sort of man you want anymore, then tell me what I need to do. You can't be vague. I'm not smart enough to figure out hints and riddles on my own. You say I need to learn how to treat women better. Okay, but … how?" he shouted. "I messed up with you, I know that, and I really do regret it, but … but I haven't been with anyone else since you. I can't still be messing up with women, so … maybe I'm better. I don't know, and I _can't_ know unless I'm dating a girl, but I don't want anyone other than you, so … so I…" His face dropped. "I want to be with you again, more than anything."

Maybe her harsh lesson worked. "I really do hope you have matured, Natsu. What you did to me was really selfish and thoughtless, but I'll admit, what I did back to you was pretty crummy as well."

"So, we both messed up," he shrugged. "Let's get back together. We can try it again, get it right this time."

"Natsu…" She sighed, pitying him slightly. "I'm with Gray now. We're happy. I'm not going to leave him for you. Doing something like that to him would be just as awful as what you did to me. I won't put him through that."

Natsu flopped on the grass with a frustrated sigh. Then he glared up in bitterness. "What if I tell him what you did?"

"Gray will forgive me."

"Are you sure?" he snapped.

"If I explain everything, he'll understand. I trust him."

His lips pulled back in an angry sneer. "Do you really think he trusts you? Does he think you're a loving girlfriend, or some untrustworthy slut who can't be left on her own? Does he trust you to be around me, or does he tell you to stay away from me and other guys? Does he trust you while he's gone, or does he mark you as his property?"

She stiffened slightly as his accusations came too close to the truth.

"When we went on that mission, you were all over me," he growled. "Flirting with me, kissing me, practically throwing yourself at me. Is that something a _loving girlfriend_ does? Do you want me to tell Gray how you let me touch you, how you moaned, and how I could smell that you were aroused?"

"A natural physiological reaction, nothing more. I was testing you and punishing you. I wasn't trying to win you back. I _don't_ want to be back together with you, okay? I'm sorry."

"But Lucy…"

"I … don't … love … you. Get that through your thick skull. I would like if we could keep being friends, but … we had our chance, Natsu. It didn't work out. I moved on. You should, too."

He glared at her. "If you didn't want me back, why did you act like that?"

Lucy hugged Plue closer. "I already told you. Vengeance," she answered bluntly. "You hurt me bad, Natsu. You really broke my heart when you took my virginity only to dump me because I wasn't _fun_ anymore. I wanted you to feel the same way. I wanted you to hurt, to feel the craving for someone you love, only to get rejected … just like what you did to me." She calmed herself and looked away. "I know it was cruel but … but I … I really _hated_ you," she confessed, finally venting the anguish she had bottled for months. "For dumping me like that, for making me feel like some used sex toy … I hated you. I wanted vengeance, redemption, retribution. I wanted you to hurt! But now…" She sighed as the burst of anger waned. "I'm sick of this. I just want things to go back to normal. I'm getting over what happened. Gray … he's been helping me get over it. Maybe you need someone like that. You need to get over me, Natsu. All that was in the past. You need to move on."

Natsu's nostrils twitched and his eyes hardened. "Move on?" He suddenly rose to his feet, staring hard. "You really don't love me at all anymore, do you?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I care for you. The memories of our time together are really dear to me. Maybe a small part of me is still … physically attracted," she admitted hesitantly. "But as for love?" She shook her head sadly. "I think we've done so much to hurt one another, there is no love anymore. I still want to be teammates and friends, though."

"Friends?"

She bit her lip. If Natsu hated her so much that he did not even want to be friends, what would happen to the team?

"We're still friends, Lucy."

She let out a little sigh of relief. Still, his eyes had not softened at all as he said that. In fact, they looked even fiercer. Natsu turned and walked back down the path. Lucy thought that was the end of their private discussion. He was obviously angry, but she had been firm. All they needed was to talk it out like two rational adults. He would leave, respecting her position, letting her and Gray be happy together, even if deep inside he did not like it. Maybe Natsu was maturing after all.

"Well, if that's all…" she began to say.

Instead, Natsu punched a tree so hard, the trunk shattered and fell across the path. She stepped back in shock. Natsu's knuckles dripped blood, yet his fist still pressed against the remaining trunk.

His head slowly turned back toward her, and he glared sharply. Lucy's breath caught in her throat. There was something wrong about the way Natsu looked … something _very_ wrong.

"You messed with the wrong Dragon Slayer, Lucy. I got punished for dumping you, so don't you think it's only fair that you get punished for _tempting_ me?" His eyes were practically burning with emotion. "You're not gonna get away with leading me on."

He took a seat on the trunk, completely blocking her exit, and glared at her. Lucy saw it again, that Dragon Slayer's gleam that made her pulse race, only now, alone with Natsu and those burning eyes sneering directly at her, she felt pure terror. Fight-or-flight instincts kicked in, thrumming through her veins and chilling her arms. She knew that when dealing with Natsu, fighting was a plain stupid option. There was no way she could win. Even her strongest Celestial Spirits would have a hard time defeating the Fire Dragon Slayer.

Instincts honed through many battles kicked in. Her eyes darted around the clearing, inspecting the bramble, the trees, any possible escape routes, or even weapons to use against him. Her only escape was to run deeper into the woods and toward Natsu's own house. He knew this path better than her, having walked it day after day, whereas she had only been over to Natsu's house a few times. Her hands went icy as she realized she was all alone, trapped, and Natsu was blocking the only feasible exit.

"You think I toyed with you?" he asked in dire tones. "I messed up, sure. It was my first time being in love … my one and _only_ lover!" He shouted that for emphasis. "Of course I made mistakes, but I truly want you back. However, over these past few months, you changed. It wasn't me, but you. You were the one who slept around. You were the one who betrayed your own best friend by dating Gajeel, and who threatened your friendship with your own Celestial Spirits by dating Loke. You leaped from guy to guy. It's obvious to everyone, Lucy. You don't want a boyfriend. You want a dog, just like Plue," he said, nodding to the shaking white puppy. "That's all Gray is, right? Your little guard dog."

He stood and strode over to Lucy, glaring down at her trembling face. She knew she should run, but her legs were not responding. Fear had frozen her limbs. Natsu sneered, and she felt the incalescent breath seething in huffs through his clenched teeth.

"I … am not … a puppy! I am a Dragon Slayer."

He grabbed her wrist, making her drop Plue so roughly that the Little Dog poofed away. Natsu squeezed her arm tightly, and Lucy cringed at the pain.

"Stop it! That hurts."

"You wanna play with me. Fine. Let's play, Lucy."

"No!" She shoved him away and made a grab toward her Spirit Keys.

Natsu was faster and snatched the keys away, ripping the entire pouch off her belt with the sound of tearing fabric. He held them just out of reach and laughed at her. "Helpless without these, aren't you?"

"Natsu!" she shouted in anger. He knew how precious those keys were to her.

"You want me to be your dog, right?" he laughed wildly. "Dogs hide their master's things." He threw the keys up into the air, and they caught on a high branch. Lucy gasped as she looked up at them. "Now," Natsu grinned fiercely, "let's play. What else do dogs do, huh? Bite? Hump legs? Bury their bone in a place you don't want them to touch?"

"You wouldn't dare," she sneered, but fear trembled through her anger. Would he? Would someone like Natsu really…? No! This was Natsu, after all.

"You don't know me as well as you think, Lucy," he said softly as his grip on her wrist tightened slowly, more and more, bringing her bones crunching together in an agonizing crush. "I show everyone that goofball side. People like thinking I'm a moron. It puts them at ease around me."

"Natsu," she gasped. "Seriously, stop! It hurts."

"But you've seen that other side of me, Lucy." He suddenly let go of the purple and partly numbed wrist, but instead he grabbed her jaw with the same bruising strength. As she gazed up in shock, she saw the narrow gleam of sadistic eyes Natsu normally only showed to enemies. "You've seen what I really am deep inside."

She had. She witnessed enough battles to know that Natsu had one hell of a vicious side to him. Now, those savage eyes were focused on her.

She struck out with both hands, shoving him away, but her right wrist shot blinding white pain. Had he really broken it? She cradled the arm as she backed off, trying to will the pain to go away so she could think clearly. Strategy was her forte, after all. She could never match Natsu in raw strength, and probably not in speed, not wearing heeled boots. She had to think her way out.

However, even she knew the situation was grim. Without her right hand, she would have a hard time wielding her whip. Natsu did not look sane at all. Talking to him was probably out of the question. She did not have her keys, and she had sternly told Loke not to show his face anymore unless she called for him. Even if the Lion sensed something was wrong, he would obey her order not to come without a summons.

Besides, she wasn't sure if even Loke could beat Natsu in a fight.

She looked up to where the pouch of keys had caught. If she could knock them down…

She ran to the side, scurrying away. Natsu merely stood there, looking mildly amused, watching to see what she would try. She grabbed a rock, but again, her right hand was in pure agony. She took it in her left hand, but as she threw it up to the branch, she did not have the coordination she normally did. The rock did not even reach high enough, and she heard Natsu chuckling lowly at her pathetic attempt. If Plue was still there, he could have climbed the tree and get the keys. She might have also climbed, but with only one good hand, her options were severely limited.

Talking was her only route.

"This isn't you, Natsu. Snap out of it. You're not a rapist."

"Rape?" He looked hurt by the term. "Sheesh, Lucy. What sort of man do you think I am? I'm not going to rape you."

She froze, then let out a laughing sigh. When he had said something about burying his bone … Of course, that was foolish. This was Natsu, after all.

"All I wanna do is remind you."

"Of what?" she said, feeling the fear flow out and her muscles ease from their tension. Natsu was still dangerous like this—her wrist told her that much—but if he was just going to push her around a bit, she could handle that. Maybe she even deserved it if he scuffed her up a little. At least he would not hurt her in the worst way possible.

Natsu walked up to her with a smile that would have been endearing, if not for the madness in his eyes. "I want to remind you about how much you once loved me."

"I know I loved you, Natsu; however, I don't anymore."

"You do."

"No, I…"

"You do!" he snarled.

He grabbed her so suddenly, she had no time to defend herself, and just as quickly she was flying through the air. Instinctively, her hands went forward to protect her head from impact, but she slammed into a tree so hard, she really did feel her injured wrist snap this time. She screamed and crumpled to the grass, cradling her arm as tears flowed down.

"You still love me," he said in direly soft tones.

Natsu strode over, and Lucy cringed down. This was too much like when Gajeel had kidnapped her for Phantom Lord, hurting her, torturing her physically and mentally, threatening again and again to kill her while Master Jose watched dispassionately. Back then, she could handle the pain with dignity. She knew Fairy Tail was fighting Phantom Lord to get her back, so she had to show her strength as a way to cheer on her nakama. Now, it was the man she trusted most who was hurting her. Lucy could not even begin to comprehend it, and she was pretty sure she could not keep up a mask of dignity.

Suddenly, just like back then and how Gajeel manhandled her, Natsu grabbed Lucy up by her hair. She cried out as he pulled her out of the slump and tossed her onto her stomach in a patch of softer grass. She laid there, keeping her face turned away to hide her tears.

"I'm going to remind you," he said, kneeling beside her.

She began to roll away, but Natsu slammed a hand on her shoulder, pinning her in place.

"Nuh-uh-uh," he chuckled lowly. "You're gonna stay right here until your body remembers." He leaned into her ear. "However long that takes is up to you. I hope you remember soon, Lucy, because I don't want to become a rapist. I just want you to remember. Once you remember, you'll leave Gray and come back to me."

"I'm not leaving Gray," she said stubbornly. "I love him."

She felt a sudden flinch in the hand shoving her shoulder, and Natsu's fingernails dug into her skin like the claws of a predatory bird. "Don't you dare say a lie like that again."

He grabbed her hair, pulling her head until her back bowed backward, all except the shoulder he still had thrust down. He leaned over her, his hot breath tickling her neck in the worst possible way. She remembered the heat of his breath. Once, she had liked it. Now that fiery air made her sick.

"Lucy, Lucy, Lucy," he whispered mockingly. "One hot breath on your neck, and I can smell your arousal already. Really, you're an easy girl to rile up. Unless you only react this strongly around me. I really do hope that's the case."

She felt him then, hard against the side of her thigh. She squeezed her eyes shut to block out the encroaching fear. "Please, Natsu," she sobbed. She knew there was no way to fight him, so begging was her only option. Dignity be damned! "If you stop now, we can go back home. I'll never speak of this. I'll say I slipped in the shower. Please."

"What I want you to say…" He straddled over her thighs so he could lean his whole body down on top of her. "…is 'I love you.'"

She sniffled up tears and fisted up her hands. If he was going to play it this way, then fine. "I … love you."

They were just words. Just syllables strung together. They were a ticket to freedom. She could give in this much if it meant avoiding where this was heading. She wondered what would happen next. The seconds ticked by, and Natsu had not moved or spoken. The tearing grip on her hair prevented her from looking back and seeing what sort of expression Natsu had on his face.

Finally, he deducted, "You're lying."

Suddenly, he slammed her face down into the grass so hard, white stars burst in her vision. Her forehead throbbed. She feared she might pass out, but then she felt that hot body crush down more on her.

"Let's try another one. Say 'I'm going to break up with Gray and get back together with you.'"

"No!"

His hips rolled against her, and she felt that hardness once again. It made her gasp and shudder with terror.

"Say it, and you better mean it, or I will make your body remember how much you loved me."

How could she mean it? She wanted Gray to burst into that forest and rescue her right now. Still, she could say the words. She could promise anything. As soon as she told Gray the truth, there would be an epic fight between fire and ice. In the meantime, she would say whatever she had to in order to escape, so long as Gray kicked Natsu's ass later.

"I'm going to break up with Gray," she whispered through jolting sobs. "I'll … I'll get back together … with you."

"Will you really?"

"Yes!" Promise anything. Promise to date him. Promise to love him. Promise to marry the bastard. Anything, so long as he stopped this before it got too far.

"Say you love me."

She swallowed down a lurch in her stomach. "I … I love you."

"Louder."

"I love you!"

"Add my name to that."

A shaky breath shook her lung. "I love you, Natsu. I love you."

"Very good, Lucy." His mocking voice made her sick. He leaned over and kissed her on the back of her neck, so tender that it made her skin prickle. He leaned into her ear and ardently whispered, "I love you, too. More than you'll ever know." Such tenderness made her cringe. "Last one. Say 'Fuck me, Natsu.'"

"What?" she screamed. Now she was furious. "Go to hell!"

He grabbed her face hard and squeezed her cheeks. " _Say it!_ " he screamed, then grinned sadistically. "I know you want me to. I can smell it." He squeezed so tightly, she felt her inner cheek slice into a molar and the copper taste of blood. "It seems I'll have to remind your body after all. I really didn't want to do this Lucy, but you brought it on yourself. I had hoped you would remember. You want me. You _need_ me." He breathed seductively into her ear. "You're gonna be with me. Forever. But first, I have to remind you. By the time we're done, you'll be begging to have me back. After all, what good master can abandon her sweet little puppy?"

He pinned both of her hands down with one of his, holding them so hard against the cold ground, she feared he would shatter every bone in her wrists. His hand fell from her hair and brushed down her neck, sending chills through her skin. He slid down her spine, then lifted her blouse ever so slightly along the bottom hem. His hot fingertips glided across her skin and up to her bra.

" _Stop!_ " she cried, squirming frantically to free herself. She no longer cared how many bones he broke, or how he beat her up. She had to get out of there. She had to run back to Fairy Tail. They could protect her. More than anything, she wanted to stop this before Natsu did anything illegal. She did not want him to end up arrested.

He sat on her rump, then yanked her hair up again. Although her hands were free for a moment, they could not move. His tight grip had left everything from her wrists to her fingertips tingling with numbness. With his other hand, he tore Lucy's shirt apart. Buttons went flying. She felt heat as, instead of fiddling with her bra, he used a bit of his fire to burn the straps off. He had done that many times while they were dating. In fact, when she was with Natsu, she went through bras quickly.

As Natsu massaged her bared breasts, he breathed hotly on her skin. It was a comforting, nostalgic heat that made this atrocity even more sickening.

"Are you remembering yet, Lucy?" he whispered into her ear.

Her breathing was coming in fast panting as she realized that there was no stopping him. She could never hope to overpower a man like Natsu. Fighting too hard might even leave her dead. At the very least, she had to survive. She had to live through this attack so she could return to Gray. He would protect her. He would shield her. Even if Gray could be a bit possessive, that just meant he would never allow this to happen again. Never again!

Oh God, she never wanted to go through this again. It was almost too much already, and he had not done the worst. Still, she knew it was coming. She knew she was powerless. She wanted to fight, but … how? How could she fight the Fire Dragon Slayer, one of the most physically powerful wizards in all of Fiore?

She did not know how. She just knew she could not give in. Never! Even if he took her body, she would fight it every step of the way, and she would never let him snap her spirit.

His fingers pinched her nipple, and Lucy clamped her lips down tightly, refusing to give in to the sounds in her throat. She would deny him everything she could. Even if she could not break free to protect her body, she would deny him everything that was sacred about sex. She would not enjoy it. She would not moan. She would never, under any circumstances, give him pleasure in return. An empty shell of a body: that was all he would take. She tried to thrust her mind somewhere else. She did not want to be here, in this moment, knowing what was about to happen.

She only prayed Natsu would snap out of this before it got to that point.

He slid his hips forward to grind against Lucy's bare thigh. The friction from his white pants made her flinch.

"Your nipples are getting hard already."

She hated that voice. Once, he had spoken to her with tenderness. Now, although the words and the tone were the same, this was anything but love.

Just as she thought that her hands were getting enough feeling back into the fingers to attempt struggling out of his hold, Natsu dived his mouth down, bared his teeth, and bit her so hard on the shoulder, she felt warm liquid flowing over her skin. She screamed as those sharp canines pierced and dug into her flesh mercilessly.

"There," Natsu smiled, licking the bleeding bite. "A mark that even that snowman can't cover up." He heard Lucy sobbing at the agony. "Why are you crying? I'm your pet dog, right?" he laughed spitefully. "This is a love bite. You should be happy I love you so much … _master_!"

"Go burn in hell," she sneered.

"That'd be paradise to me." He caressed her neck in what was almost a tender touch and would have roused goosebumps if not for the burning, bleeding pain of his bite. "Do you remember the first time I did this? The first time I bit my mark into your flesh? It was our first night together. I marked you like this and told you that you would be my mate for all eternity. Do you remember that?"

Lucy said nothing. Escape from the moment! Put her mind somewhere else! That was how she managed to keep her dignity with Phantom Lord. She would do it again. Just escape the moment.

Natsu released her hair and slammed her head down into the dirt again. Leaning over her whole body, he whispered into her ear. "I said, do you remember?"

Escape. Go somewhere else. Pretend she was in a different place.

Natsu flipped her around onto her back and screamed insanely. " _Do you remember?_ "

She gazed up at him with pure hatred now. It was the face she once adored, but this was not the same man who used to make her heart flutter. "I remember it … asshole."

"Good. I'm glad." The brightly beaming smile made her even more angry. She wanted to be on her stomach again, able to hide from his narrow eyes. Maybe she could let her mind escape if she did not have to see him.

Natsu caressed a bruise on her face. His eyes were tender, but the touch still hurt. Slowly, her eyes opened.

"Natsu," she sighed gently, saying his name with endearment. His eyes widened in shock. "I think … I think I really am remembering. Your hands were so warm, so rough, but so gentle."

A smile of hope trembled on his face. "You … you remember? Do you want me back?" he asked desperately. "Please, Lucy. Please say you remember how it was. Please say you want me back."

She reached up to his face. "Oh Natsu," she sighed meekly. She smiled the cutest face she could manage as her fingers caressed up his cheeks. Her thumbs traced around his eyebrows as her hands massaged into his hair. His eyes fluttered closed at the gentle touches. Sweetly, she said, "Go fuck yourself."

Her thumbs suddenly plunged into his eye sockets, and she gritted as she put as much effort as she could into it. Even a weak girl can gouge a man's eyes out. He screamed, pulled back quickly, grabbed her wrists, and pinned them down again so harshly, she felt the broken bone in her wrist separate more.

"Oh, you're just _begging_ for punishment, aren't you?"

His head slammed down, ramming into her forehead with a loud crack. All went fuzzy for Lucy. Her mind vanished for a moment. She could not see, and she thought for sure she would go unconscious. Still, she heard his voice and felt his touches.

"You like being restrained, don't you?" he said mockingly. He pulled both limp wrists together, pinning them. "I still have our handcuffs at home, you know. Maybe I should have brought them." His other hand reached up her skirt, and she felt the same heat disintegrate her panties. "You really loved when I'd cuff you to the bed and make you squirm. Such a kinky girl!"

Just let it be over with. Hide away somewhere. Hide and escape from the truth…

The truth that the man who had been her best friend was betraying her in the worst way possible.

He trailed kisses down her bare shoulders, then he suckled her perky nipple. Lucy tensed up, struggling not to vomit. She hated the physical pleasure that came with his hot lips. Then Natsu's teeth dragged the nipple up until it stretched and bounced back down. She yelped without meaning to, eliciting a dark chuckle from Natsu that caused every hair on her body to stand on end.

"You like that, don't you, Lucy? For a girl with such huge boobs, they sure are sensitive. Do you remember that, too? Do you remember how it felt to have hot hands on you?"

He used both hands to grope her. Physically, there was a tingle of pleasure in the nerves, but that meant nothing at all. She hated him. For using her own body to betray her, for treating her like some toy, for daring to touch her without permission … she hated him.

She ignored the pain in her hands in order to give Natsu the hardest shove she could manage, shouting to focus all of her energy, and to distract herself from the pain. The bone in her wrist was already broken, so she would simply deal with added damages later. One leg broke free to the side, and she slammed her heeled boot right down into Natsu's kidney, getting him to cry out in pain. Then she rolled quickly, getting out from under him, hoping to break free. She got three and a half spins over the grass before a foot crashed down on her back. There was burning in her spine and a pop from a vertebra. Pain flashed down one of her nerves like searing lightning, followed instantly by numbness.

"Oh God," she gasped, fearing he really had hurt her bad this time.

Horror overcame her as she realized she could not feel half of her left thigh. It was completely numb, gone from her body, no pain but also no way to use the muscles. She realized in terror, she would not be able to walk. If it was as bad as she feared, she might never walk again.

"I don't want to hurt you, Lucy."

She could not move. She could not use her right hand. She could not walk with her left leg. Her vision was still doubled from the hit to her forehead. Her mind was breaking, slowly succumbing to the fear that if she fought more, he might truly kill her. Death was way more terrifying than rape. It was a fear of the unknown, whereas at least she was experienced. She knew what her body would feel if he raped her.

_Go away. Escape from your mind. Retreat to some pleasant place. It'll all be like a dream. It'll be over, and then … then …_

Natsu crawled on top of her again. "Did that hurt? I'm so sorry."

His weight on her spine hurt so badly, she shrieked. "Natsu! My back! Oh God, I think you broke it. Get off … please," she sobbed. "Please, just … just get off me. It really hurts. Please!"

"Your back?" He ran his hand down her spine. When he came to that reddened area, Lucy screamed in blinding pain. "I see. So it hurts … here?"

He sadistically pressed on the spine, and Lucy choked on vomit from the pain. "No … don't. Don't, please."

"Say 'Fuck me, Natsu.'"

"Please!"

He pressed harder, and she thought for sure she would pass out. She wanted to truly escape now, and being unconscious was one way of leaving this moment, this body, this pain.

Natsu whispered into her ear. "Beg me to fuck you."

She shook her head, although the pain was slowly breaking her mind. Natsu suddenly punched her back, and this time Lucy really did vomit with pain. Acid shot up and splattered on the grass, mixing with blood from a cut on her inner cheek.

"Say it," he breathed seductively while his knuckles twisted against that injured vertebra.

The torture was worse than anything she had endured in any of her times being captured by enemies. Never had she felt something so agonizing, and knowing it was her former lover hurting her like this just made it worse.

"Say it, and all the pain goes away."

Pain! She was breaking from the pain, but she did not want to be weak.

"I won't even fuck you today, since you're hurt. I'll wait. I'll be gentle. Just say the words. Say you want to have sex with me. Say you want me back, you love me, and you'll never leave me. That's all I want, Lucy. I want you back."

It was tempting. As his hand pressed into the inflamed nerves around her spine, she was ready to say or do anything to make it go away.

Until a face came to her mind. Gray's face. Gray's smile. Maybe she was hallucinating, seeing him there, but it calmed her. He was here. He would save her.

"Gray…"

She heard the growl behind her, and Natsu hit that part of her spine again. However, it's funny how pain begins to dull so quickly in the mind. What was torture a moment ago was now merely painful as she stared at the imaginary face of her black-haired lover. She was drifting away from the pain, away from the moment and the actions.

The sound of his zipper coming down hardly affected her. Nor when he shoved her skirt up to her waist. Maybe she was already broken and insane. If so, insanity was rather nice. She felt less pain, less fear. It was peaceful in her little bubble of fantasy, floating together with Gray.

"I'll make you forget him."

Hot fingers returning to her skin. He traced patterns up her thighs, spreading them. She could not even feel the left thigh past a certain part, so she could not force her legs closed as he spread them and used his knees to hold them apart. He grabbed her rear, nails digging into her flesh, and massaged those soft globes.

"Front entrance, or back? Back one hurts more, you know. I won't prep you or anything. But the front one … well, there are certain issues with that entrance, right?"

She said nothing. She wanted to feel nothing. Escape the moment. Stay in this little nook of non-being.

"Front it is," he decided for her. He pressed against her entrance, exploring it with his tip.

Suddenly, the sweet escape vanished. The pain was back in full, and with it the terror. Lucy gasped, wanting to escape again, to stay away. Being here again, feeling what he was doing, was too much for her. Natsu drew back, sliding himself over her to rub some of her moisture onto him, before pushing slightly at her folds. Blood rushed to her face in both rage and utter humiliation.

"No!" she shrieked. "Natsu, don't do this!"

"Too late."

Natsu slammed inside her so quickly and roughly, she could not even scream before the pain took her breath away, leaving her choking dryly.

"You're mine," Natsu grunted.

She could practically feel the way he bared his teeth in triumph as he pulled out and thrust deeply inside of her again. She bit her lip and tried to fight back the tears.

Where was her bubble of peace? Why the hell could she not escape again?

She was slammed harder against the grass with every move he made, rough and constant. There was no illusion of comfort, no pretending to be tender with love. It was vigorous marking of one's property. Each ramming thrust sent white flashes of pain through her injured spine.

This wasn't lovemaking. It was torture.

He suddenly stopped, but Lucy did not dare open her eyes. He was still inside her, resting there. She knew why, too. He wanted to drag this out. He wanted it to last as long as possible. In their time dating, he had learned to stop once in a while so he would not come too soon. She felt her pulse throbbing through her straining entrance, shaking her whole body with each racing beat. He leaned closer, pushing her hair aside with his nose.

"Are you enjoying this, my love?" he whispered, brushing his lips down her neck in a twisted illusion of intimacy. Then he licked the blood still dripping from his bite wound. "Do you remember yet? Don't lie to me. Remember how good it used to be? Remember how I used to pleasure you all night and into morning? I remember, Lucy," he said with unnerving tenderness. "I remember learning everything about you, and everything about myself. I didn't know much of anything before you. I didn't realize how good it can feel if you just … slow … down."

He pulled almost completely out of her, letting just his tip dance partly inside her, before sliding back in slowly, deliberately, moaning softly in her ear as he sheathed himself inside of her.

"I learned this from you, Lucy. Everything I know, I learned from you. My only lover! I used to think I could forget, but I couldn't. Even the way I touch myself with my own hand, I learned how to really stroke myself by realizing how much I liked the way your hands did it. I can never forget. I made a mistake when I broke up with you, and I realized that right away, the first time I tried to touch myself. It could never feel as good as this, as being inside you." His length moved so slowly inside of her, it was almost impossible to feel it sliding in and out, except for the searing pressure it placed on her spine when he pressed inward. "I won't make that mistake again. I'm going to love you properly from now on. I won't ever let you go."

Natsu hugged her from behind, lying his entire back down on top of her, crushing her in his embrace.

"Never let you go," he repeated adamantly. "Never!"

He peppered her neck with kisses and stroked her hair. His hips thrust, and she heard the occasional slurping sound of his movements. She hated that she was so moist. It was natural, of course. Her body would get some natural lubricant merely getting a Pap smear (which was certainly something no woman enjoyed).

What was truly sickening was that this slow, sensual action made her remember too much that they had been lovers. It brought up memories of those tender times. If he had simply been violent and forceful, she could keep hating him. This attentiveness was breaking her will far quicker than something more violent.

It was also driving her to the edge. She felt the coiling in her gut, hard twitches deep within her, and she gasped, knowing what was about to happen.

"Please … no. No!" She clawed at the dirt, shrieking as she felt her body losing control.

"Are you almost there, Lucy?" he asked sadistically. "Do you need it more?"

His thrusts quickened, and it threw her over the edge. Nothing could stop the muscles from contracting. She wanted to stop it. She wanted to hold back. How … _how_ could she possibly be reacting like this? She hated it. She hated him. Still, she felt pulses tighten within her and a quivering that made her tremble with sickening pleasure.

"Yes, Lucy. Come for me. Squeeze my cock. I love to feel it. I love feeling you squeeze me like this."

She sobbed as she could not stop herself, no more than a drowning person could stop themselves from eventually gasping and swallowing water.

And that was how it felt: like she was drowning, dying, being swallowed in darkness as she sank away from sanity and normality, falling into the burning pits of Hades, with a fiery demon to lead her down along the path.

"I love you, Lucy," he said in an ardent whisper, kissing her ear as he held still, feeling her contractions still quivering around him. "I love you so much. I'm so glad. Your body remembered. I'm so relieved." He kept kissing her skin as she sobbed, sinking lower and lower even after her body stopped reacting. "Say 'I love you' again, like you did earlier. I liked hearing you say that. Please, Lucy. Say it again."

Instead, she swung her face to the side to glare back at him with all the fury that overflows Hell and resides only in the blackened hearts of a woman scorned. "I'm going to fucking kill you," she growled through gritted teeth.

Natsu stopped and stared in surprise. Instead of looking hurt, he slowly smiled, that sick grin from earlier that made his eyes narrow with vile pleasure. "That's more like it. Do you know what really made me fall in love with you?"

He plunged inside of her again, ramming her so hard, her breasts scraped over the dirt, got cut up, and began to bleed.

"You're strong. Maybe not physically, but mentally. If I broke you this easy, it really wouldn't be fun anymore."

Not fun anymore. That was just like what he said back then to her, breaking up with her because she _wasn't fun anymore_. Those words made the rage boil in her blood.

"Maybe I should infest you." His hand slithered under her body to her lower belly, coming to land on her womb. "I can make it so you have to come back to me. You'll have no other choice."

Lucy knew the threat was moot. She was on medication to prevent pregnancy. Sure, she skipped a pill, but all she had to do was take another one today and she would be safe. Still, a threat like that struck an instinctual fear in her, the fear any woman has when facing rape: _What if I get pregnant?_

Just then, Gray's face came to mind again. What would he think? Would he support her and a child from another man? Would he leave her? Lucy began to increase her struggles as fears and doubts burned her along with Natsu's fiery touches.

"Please, Natsu … don't," she sobbed.

"I'm going to," he threatened, huffing heavily. "I'm gonna come inside. I'll make you return to me. We _will_ be a family!"

Lucy's nerves were on fire, white hot as he slammed over and over, painfully ramming his hips against her in a wild rhythm. His sacks brushed her clit with every surge forward, making her tremble again in post-coital sensitivity. She felt the raw power in his body, the strength of his muscles, and the heat that flamed within him. His hands painfully gripped her hips, pulling her back onto his length every time he thrust forward, ensuring he would drive into her as deep as he could go.

Natsu grunted as he slammed in hard a few more times. "You … will … be … mine!"

Then he rammed in and roared. Lucy felt the pressure fill her, and she howled in horror.

If she got pregnant…

Oh God, if she ended up with Natsu's baby…

"No…" she whimpered tearfully.

Natsu gave a few more thrusts, making sure every drop entered her. Even when he was done, he did not pull out, plugging up her entrance to make sure the seed remained inside.

"My mate," Natsu huffed, clinging to her. "You will always be mine, Lucy. Always. I love you, and I need you. Mine … all mine."

Reality slammed down on her. She sobbed in misery, feeling filthy and wretched.

She hurt … so much. And not just her body. She felt as if her soul had been beaten up.

As Natsu finally pulled out, she felt the sticky fluid slowly dripping from within her. Suddenly, completely overcome with disgust and terror, Lucy vomited. It was not like the little burst of sickness earlier. This time, everything came hurling up, including the food she had just eaten with Natsu and Happy. She choked as vomit splattered under her, stinking and making her want to puke more. She gagged, choking with dry heaves, vomit under her face, chunky bits of food in her sinuses, and burning acid tingling in her nose.

"Am I that sick to you?" Natsu sneered as he stood up and fixed his pants. "You better get used to it. You can't go back to Gray now. I won't let him take what's mine."

She was still gagged on her vomit, trying to spit it all out.

Natsu suddenly screamed, " _Do you hear me?_ " He kicked her in the stomach, knocking her onto her side. Lucy curled up into a ball, protecting herself as well as she could. "Look at you," he spat. "I was the one who showed you what love was, and now you spread your legs for anyone. You get wet for anyone. You come from anyone. Disgusting! No man would want you. None but me. I claimed you as my mate, so as the whole world looks at what a disgusting whore you are, I'm the only man you can turn to. You have no choice but to return to me now."

He leaned over and hefted her into his arms. She was too sore to struggle much, but she still did not limply allow him to do even this. She squirmed, although that made her back muscles contract with agony.

"Calm down. I'm just taking you home so I can tend to your injuries. I was rough, so I'll take responsibility." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. She felt so sick, she could not even pull back from him. She merely stared with blank eyes and a blank mind.

"We're going home, Lucy … where you belong!"

He began to walk, and the jolting made her spine throb. She still felt stickiness between her thighs. Absently, she realized they were leaving her keys behind. She almost wanted to apologize to her Spirits, but…

She was too weak.

She did not deserve to be in charge of caring for Celestial Spirits when she could not even protect herself.

She hated herself. Filthy! Infested! Disgusting! A whore!

"I love you, Lucy."

Words that once made her blush now made her want to vomit again. The pain was making her sleepy.

It was no fair that only now, after the worst was over, did her body finally allow her to escape. She passed out in Natsu's arms, broken and beaten.

* * *

Lucy woke up in a bed with heat beside her. Her wrist had been splinted and wrapped. She felt some sort of tingling salve on her spine. To her relief, she could again feel the leg that had been numb earlier. Other bandages were on her body. Her skin felt like it had been washed, and she was wearing a shirt and skirt that she thought had gone missing ages ago. Had she left some of her clothes at Natsu's house from back when they were dating?

Then she realized Natsu was lying in bed beside her. She gasped softly. The terror that just happened had a surreal haze to it. She knew it had really happened—the injuries were proof—but her brain refused to accept that cute and silly Natsu Dragneel was capable of such violence.

It was impossible! It wasn't like him at all.

Except, Natsu did have a huge sadistic streak. She had learned that early on in their time dating. He liked to be rough, even hurtful. He used to handcuff her, spank her, and _punish_ her while teasing that she was a bad girl. Back then, she had loved all of it. She liked how fiery he was in the bedroom. Even when he got harsh, it was an erotic pain. He liked making her yelp, even cry, until she begging him to stop. That was the fierceness of a Dragon Slayer.

Yes, he definitely had a dark streak. Still, she didn't want to accept this as truth.

_Hide away. Pretend it never happened. Go on with life and try to be happy. Try to forget. Try to stay in love with Gray. Gray will protect me. Gray will fight Natsu and get revenge. Gray … Gray will forgive me for being weak._

She slowly slipped out of bed, being extra careful not to wake Natsu. Her injured back sent streaks of white pain through her vision. The leg might have sensation, but the injury was pretty damn bad. Still, she needed to get out of there. It was foggy and dark outside, the gray-pink light of a sun just below the horizon, but she forgot which way Natsu's house faced. Was it sunset, or morning?

She tiptoed through the house, avoiding the messes. She saw a picture of herself in a frame, although the glass was shattered. She saw other things that belonged to her, including her pouch of keys, which she retrieved with a sigh of relief. Hanging from a lamp was a beaded bracelet Natsu gave her once. She did not remember giving it back to him, but maybe she left it.

Or maybe he stole it.

In shock, she realized Natsu practically had a shrine to her. She saw pinned to the wall a pair of her panties, a barrette, and a torn out page from her diary that dated to the time they were dating, filled with erotic descriptions of some wild night between them. There were newspaper clipping of missions they did together where the paper quoted Lucy's words, pages from _Sorcerer Magazine_ with her picture, a centerfold bikini picture she did with Virgo as a special on Celestial Spirit wizards, and what really made her blush was a glossy photo of her naked in the shower. She remembered the day Natsu sneaked a camera into her bathroom and took that picture. She had beaten him up for it. He later gave her the photo, apologizing with his adorable puppy eyes. She forgave him and thought nothing else of it. She never imagined he had made copies of that picture.

As she looked, there were other erotic photos, none she remembered him taking, all of them she could tell were done in a sneaky way: peeking through a window as she undressed, foliage in the foreground as Natsu must have been peeking through bushes to watch her in a hot spring, and worst of all was a photo of her on her bed, legs spread, a dildo pleasuring her, her mouth gaped open in a moan while her fingers twisted her bare nipple. From the angle, she knew that photograph must have been taken from her window, and by the plate of cookies sitting on the nightstand, she realized this was taken last week. She remembered that particular "relief session," and the cookies she had been eating while reading one of Erza's erotic yaoi novels. As she looked at the photo more, she even saw the opened book dropped to the side, forgotten in the throes of self-gratification.

The bastard had been peeking in on her, probably for months, and obsessively taking pictures of her. Even when she was dating Gray, Natsu was still invading her privacy.

She decided not to question the suspicious stains splattered near this alter of adoration. It was too creepy, even for her. It epitomized just how insanely obsessive Natsu had become. She left the bedroom as quickly and silently as possible.

When she was gone, Natsu's eyes opened with a narrow gleam, and a smirk lifted the corner of his mouth.

Lucy found her shoes and slipped them on. She attached her key pouch to her belt, then stealthily walked to the door. She was pretty sure it was morning, since the light outside was getting stronger, not weaker. She had slept all afternoon, evening, and through the night. Probably, that deep sleep was caused by her concussion. Her head was still throbbing, and her stomach growled. She ate only one meal yesterday, and that had been puked up. She felt starving and weak, yet she needed to get out of there.

Ever so slowly, she twisted the doorknob, praying it would not squeak. Natsu had good ears and an even better nose. He would smell that she was gone. She had to escape while he slept.

Finally, the doorknob turned all the way, and she pulled the door back, millimeter by millimeter, holding the door so it would not creak.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open so quickly, it almost hit Lucy in the face. She gasped as she saw Natsu himself standing in the entryway. He had felt Lucy leave the bed, of course, and sneaked out the window.

Lucy stiffened defiantly. She realized he might take her again. She would stubbornly fight, no matter the injuries to herself. He might demand that she stay here, cage her in his home, restrain her, or even handcuff her to the bed. If he did, Gray would eventually come to free her. Either way, she would not give in to him without a fight.

"Happy birthday, Lucy," he said with disgustingly slick words. "Did you like my present? Sorry it was a little early."

She had almost completely forgotten the day. It was morning, which meant it was now her birthday. Back in the guild, people were probably preparing for a party. They would want to celebrate her birth.

Right now, all she wanted was to escape this house alive.

"I'll give you three days," Natsu said in a gravelly tone. "Break up with that snowball, move all of your stuff out of his house, and return to me. Live here. If you don't … I'll _kill him_ ," he growled insanely.

Lucy gasped and stepped back. Natsu often said things like he wanted to kill Gray, but never had he said something like this with such insane, fatalistic eyes.

"I will kill that bastard for taking what's mine. Then as he's dying, I'll make him watch as I fuck you, again and again, until he breathes his last breath cursing you. I will make him suffer until his soul plunges into Hell. Don't think I won't."

That was what feared her. He looked dead serious!

"I think I'm being generous, giving you time to break up in a way that won't make you regret it. I'm even letting you spend your birthday with him. Very generous indeed! But don't toy with me, Lucy." He reached forward and caressed her bruised cheek. "I _will_ have you back. You're my mate for life. I have to be a good mate: understanding, tolerant, forgiving. I'm trying to learn that. I'm trying to be mature, just like you want. Still, you are my _mate for life_! The only way to escape that fate is when you die."

Fear trickled through her. "Would you kill me as well?" she whispered faintly.

"Of course not, but…" He reached forward and rubbed his thumb over her lips. "I _would_ take you forcefully again. Definitely!"

She slapped him away as hard as her left hand could hit. Anger, terror, memories of what happened, all cascaded into her heart, making her shake in a mix of fear and hatred.

Natsu chuckled slyly. "You must have really enjoyed that yesterday, so much that you passed out. It's been a while since I made you do that. I really wore you out, huh? I bet that was way better than anything those _others_ could give you." He leaned in closer. "Do you remember when I used to make love to you for so long, you couldn't walk straight for a week? Do you remember how gentle I could be, making you come again and again, dozens of times in a single night, teasing you with my fingers and tongue until you passed out? Then I would take you while you were asleep, and you'd wake up to me thrusting into you. Remember that? Fucking a sleeping girl: that's a form of rape, you know. Yesterday wasn't the first time I raped you, Lucy. I've done it many times, and you used to _like_ it. Do you remember those times?"

A tear dripped down her eye as her lips began to tremble. Remembering those tender moments, juxtaposed with the horror from yesterday, broke her heart. It did not make her want that past again. Instead, it made her regret that she had ever fallen in love with a man capable of becoming this.

"Ya know," he chuckled darkly, "last night, I took you again while you were unconscious. You didn't wake up at all, but you were moaning. You were loving it so much, squeezing me so tightly, moaning and clenching on me, I came way too soon. Even in your sleep, you love my cock. And do you know what?" A terrifying smirk rose to his lips. "You didn't take your pill last night, Lucy."

She gasped in horror. Her birth control pill! Natsu knew when she took it, and she had missed her dose, slept right through it.

"You didn't take it the previous night either, did you? Two days in a row." He tisked at her and shook his head. "That's not safe, ya know."

"How … how did you know that I ran out of pills?"

He stared with merely a smile, yet a sinister chortle quietly rumbled in his chest.

The truth horrified her. "You … you emptied my bottle. You bastard!"

If Natsu stole all of her birth control pills, it meant he had planned to do this from the very start. All the sweet smiles yesterday, the disarming laughs, the heartfelt pleading, all of that had been an act. From the beginning, he had planned to rape her, and realizing this crushed the last grain of hope she had for Natsu's redemption. Yesterday was not an impulsive moment of temporary insanity. It had been premeditated, and he had even set up something so atrocious as stripping her of her muliebral protection just before invading her like that.

Natsu put a hand on her lower belly. "I wonder what's in here. It's a surprise, you know. Boy? Girl?" His narrow eyes turned up to her, glinting victoriously. "Happy birthday. I hope you like my _gift_."

She pulled away violently, completely overcome with terror. With a scream of hysteria, Lucy raced past him, running away from the house while completely blinded by despair. The worst horror, something she thought she did not have to worry about, was now a real possibility.

If she got pregnant, would Gray still want her?

Lucy ran frantically down the forest path until she came to the tree trunk Natsu had smashed in the way. She could have climbed over the trunk, but she was at her limit. She collapsed as tears finally won over. Alone now, she curled into a fetal position and let out her sobs as loudly as she wanted.

Lucy stayed on the ground, hiding down against the tree trunk, not wanting to move at all. She hurt, she felt filthy, and her stomach wanted to throw up again. She wanted to lie there, dead to the world, until someone found her, like a prince finding Snow White and taking her away to his shining palace. That, or she could sit there until she rotted away and her skeleton became part of the forest scenery. It didn't matter to her. She could either wither and die, or spread her legs to another Prince Charming and hope he didn't betray her this time.

Why? Why did this happen? How could Natsu, of all people, turn out like this? Just how badly had she broken him to drive him to do something this despicable?

She hated him, but what was worse, she hated herself. She hated that she made Natsu this insane. She hated that she had taunted him and mentally tortured him. She hated that she had an orgasm from his touches. She hated how her body had responded, betraying her, a body that rebelled against her mind and spirit. She hated the memories of better times, when he used to ravage her and make her moan with pleasure. She hated knowing that those tender days could never happen again. There was no way she could return to Natsu now.

She also dreaded that she could no longer face Gray.

Lucy reached down to her stomach. Her womb was like a sacred temple that she protected, forbidding any man from conquering this last hallowed place. Now, Natsu might have broken her ultimate defenses.

Her sacred temple—her womb—the one place a woman reserves for the man she wants to start a family with, and it might have been ransacked, usurped by a fetus of the man who had betrayed her so deeply.

This horror was so deep, Lucy leaned over and vomited again, although only bile came out of her empty stomach. Morning sickness? No, it was something worse. It was sickness of the heart, disgust at herself, at her body, and at the thought of having to live the rest of her life with this painful memory.

How could she live like a normal person anymore after suffering so much?

She felt alone. Broken. Disgusting.

She wanted to shrivel up. She wanted to purge the filth out of her, not just the creepy ghost touches that still burned her skin, but the infection inside of her. She wanted to forget everything, to escape this awful and unfair life.

She wanted … to die.

* * *

_**Note** : _

_I want to apologize to you readers._

_The last time I updated was last summer, so it took me seven months to write this chapter. My best excuse is that this chapter scared the hell out of me! As readers who follow me on Facebook know, writing half a page mentally drained me. I was blogging about how much I struggled through this chapter, paragraph by paragraph of mental torture._

_It reflects a little too closely something that happened to me in my past. Being forced to revisit that moment, relive it so I could draw upon what I went through in order to write a believable scene was, quite frankly, absolutely terrifying._

_Fans on Facebook know, since I went on **long** discussions about this: I absolutely did not want this chapter to promote Rape Culture, which is a huge problem in this country and around the world. I did not want this chapter to involve Lucy getting assaulted, lying there like some helpless princess, and eventually enjoying it._

_It's not just men who promote this atrocious concept that "rape is okay." Women are raised with those lies. In all media, from the idiot politicians we hear on TV, to religious leaders, singers in pop music, even teenagers writing fanfiction, this idea that rape is okay is spreading like a sickening plague._

_As I was asking friends and readers how to write this challenging chapter—almost all of them girls—a shocking majority said, "Lucy should fight Natsu at first, but then she'll realize how good it feels. She'll eventually come to like it, because it's Natsu."_

_**NO!** Absolutely no. You do **not** "eventually come to like" rape. You **don't**. Your body may react, but you do not come to **enjoy** it. You do not just sit back and have fun because, hey, it feels good. **Hell no!** That was something I absolutely did **not** want to write._

_Because of what happened to me in my past, I wanted to show how despicable this act is. I wanted to show the men out there … and the women! Oh, you better believe there are women out there who rape men using the justification of "you're getting hard, so you're enjoying it." It's the exact same justification men use when they rape a woman: "you're getting wet, which means you really like it." Male rapes are rarely reported because "you're a man, you should enjoy it." Men are pressured into it with taunts aimed at their masculinity: "What do you mean, you're this old and still a virgin? Come on, I'll make you into a real man. You wanna be a real man, right? Are you gonna turn me down? Is it that you're gay? You'll love it, you'll see. Don't fight me on this. I want it. I know you want it too. All men want it." Men don't fight back like women do, because as toddlers they are told "only sissies hit girls." They think they **can't** fight back; it's "unmasculine" to strike a woman. They are told that sex is something all men want, and they fear that the girl will laugh at him for not wanting it. Raping a man strips him of all pride, leaving him an emotional wreck, bottling it all inside, never saying a word, since he believes "big boys don't cry" and "real men want sex all the time." He feels he can't reveal that he "lost to a girl." Male rapes are rarely reported, but they are just as serious._

_Rape can happen to all genders, and from all sexual preferences. Men raping women. Women raping men. Men raping men. Women raping other women. Agender, bigender, transgender, pangender. It is **all** rape, and at no time is it okay._

_So I wanted to show to everyone, this is **not** something that you sit back and enjoy. It is **not** something you "should" like. That bullshit about "if a woman truly doesn't want it, her body puts up natural defenses to stop pregnancy" is spouted by men who know nothing about the mechanisms of a woman's uterus and have never themselves been forced to have a cock thrust inside their bodies. It is the worst of all Rape Culture bullshit, making men think it's okay because "she won't get pregnant if she really doesn't like it."_

_Rape is often not reported because of shame, fear, and love. Yes, love. Most rapes happen by someone the victim knows: a family member, a close friend, a classmate … a lover. Sadly, way too many people—myself included—don't report sexual assaults. They don't want to turn these people in, get them in trouble, plus since it's someone they know, **everyone** is going to know about it. The family of that person may blame the victim. Classmates who were friends with the rapist may think the victim an evil person for getting their friend arrested. It's totally different from a random stranger grabbing you off the street and raping you. It's more **personal** when it's someone close to you. So victims stay quiet, and the rapist goes on to attack more people. Not reporting allows Rape Culture to grow and lets rapists think that what they're doing is perfectly fine, since no one has gotten them in trouble yet. They think that since the person didn't report it, they must have liked it secretly. That is **far** from the truth!_

_The scene in this chapter is a stereotypical rape, done by someone Lucy knows, likes, trusts, and that trust is shattered. Just because she once loved Natsu, she doesn't come to enjoy it. She fights, even when injured. It makes her sick, and yes, vomiting is a natural reaction after your body has been violated like that. You want to purge **everything** out of you. Lucy is now faced with the issue: does she report Natsu and watch her best friend get tossed in jail, or does she keep quiet to protect Natsu while suffering in silence?_

_I was assaulted twice in my life, but I got lucky. The first time, I fought the bastard off. I got hurt bad (this chapter reflects some of what I went through) but I put up a hell of a fight, until he decided it wasn't worth the effort. The second time I was molested, someone came by before it got too far. I did not report either one. The first time, it was my own boyfriend. I loved him, despite that … "first love" and all that. I didn't want him to be arrested; I didn't want to shame myself by admitting to everyone, especially my family, just how far he and I went sexually. We broke up, and I kept quiet out of shame. The second assault was a person in my family, and it was **my own mother** who ordered me not to report him, since it would shame the family. She then insinuated that I was "provoking" him, it was all my fault, I didn't fight back enough, and I deserved it as punishment for sins. I have never forgiven my mother for saying those things._

_If you are a victim of an assault, REPORT IT! It might feel shameful, but the rapist is the one with no honor. Get that bastard in trouble, or at least get him some psychological help._

_Personally, keeping quiet ate me up inside, and it still torments me years later. I should have reported those two guys, because I learned later, not even six months after assaulting me, both men went on to assault other women. I could have stopped it sooner, before other women suffered. Keeping quiet makes me feel like I'm just as guilty as them, since I didn't do anything to stop the perpetuation of brutality. Guilt is worse than shame._

_Be the superhero who bravely steps forward and stops the violence. REPORT RAPE!_

_All of this is one giant excuse for why it took so long to write this chapter. It hit **way** too close to home for me, and as you can tell by my long diatribe, Rape Culture is an issue I feel strongly about because of what happened to me, and to friends who were assaulted. Someone I know was raped by her own father, conceived a child, gave birth—thank God the baby is genetically okay—but that girl was messed up mentally for life; she could not keep that baby, that reminder, around and ran away from her family. Another friend was raped for years as a child by his neighbor, starting when he was only six years old. A high school friend of mine was raped and murdered just a month after we graduated._

_So yeah … this is a big issue for me._

_I really wanted this chapter to reflect just how **wrong** rape is. I did not want Lucy to "enjoy" it. I wanted to show that, even though this is someone she knows, it's despicable, it's wrong, and even if she did something bad … one of the most common things people who have suffered a rape think is "I deserved it." And Lucy thinks that. Probably a majority of you readers thought that at some point. She was a bitch, she teased Natsu so cruelly, she deserved what she got. Just desserts. Karma. Whatever._

_That is again a promotion of Rape Culture. So I hope that if you did originally think that: think again. Who the hell **deserves** that? No one does. It doesn't matter what you did, how you mistreated someone, or what sins you've made. No one "deserves" to be raped._

_So, I really hope you forgive me for taking half a year to write this chapter. This is why! Writing this, paragraph by paragraph, was pure mental anguish for me. It took a lot out of me: emotionally, mentally, going back into that past that I never want to relive, a past I wish I could simply forget, but a past that has definitely shaped me as a woman … and as a writer. Hopefully, I never have to write a chapter like this again, because I don't think I can!_

_I know it wasn't a "nice" chapter, but I hope I wrote it in a way that reflects what I wanted. And … I really do hope the next chapter doesn't take half a year to write! My apologies, and thank you for waiting._

 


	11. Tear My Heart Out Slow and Bleed Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Sorry it took a while to come back to this. To be honest, last chapter was heavier on my heart than I first thought. I was almost scared to open this story again. I know I scared away A LOT of people with Chapter 10. People who saw the AMV knew that scene was coming, they were looking forward to it being sexy, and they were not ready to see just how horrific rape truly is. Thank you to those brave enough to continue._

Gray had rushed back home, happy that he made it just in time for Lucy's birthday. As soon as he got off the train, he headed straight to Lucy's house. It was early, so he hoped that maybe he could kiss her awake, or catch her in the shower. He wanted to give Lucy her first birthday kiss.

In his arms were two wrapped packages. One, he kept staring at happily. His joy was nearly bursting, but _this_ present had to wait. The other … well, _that_ was for _tonight!_

He knocked on her door, then cursed himself. He was so distracted with happiness about these birthday gifts, he forgot that he wanted to wake her. Luckily, no one came to the door. Gray had learned early on how to break into Lucy's house. He slipped through a window, hoping to find her sleeping like a princess.

The bed was empty. There was no sound in the small house. Gray set the larger gift on the bed and walked around.

"Lucy?" he called out.

He sat on her plump chair and looked down at the smaller gift again. He felt nervous. He shouldn't be, he scolded himself. Lucy would love it. It would have deep meaning to them both, and he felt confident that she loved him enough to accept this and wear it.

He shook his head. Stupid giddy feelings!

He wondered if Lucy left already. Maybe she wanted a birthday breakfast with Levy. Maybe she was dragged to the guild for a party. He chuckled as he realized that must be it. So Gray jumped up, ready to go to the guild. He was about to grab the second gift, but that was definitely not something to be opened at the guild. He quickly wrote a letter, and then he leaped out her window, rushing down Strawberry Street to the guild.

* * *

Lucy was unsure how long she sat there in the woods. Her mind was numbed from everything. Her body hurt, and her stomach was still heaving at times, sick to remember what just happened. She just wanted to die! Eventually, she realized Natsu might come down this path. At the least, she needed to get out of here before he arrived, found her, and tortured her some more.

Slowly, aching, unable to use her right hand, she pulled herself up and climbed over the fallen tree. Her thighs burned. Her back was still agonizing; she would need Wendy to heal the bone and nerves. Bruises throbbed all over her. There was no way she wanted to go to the guild like this. She felt filthy and undeserving of being a Fairy Tail wizard. As she walked through the streets of Magnolia, she kept her face down, hoping to hide the bruises on her face with a curtain of blond hair hanging down. She did not even feel like calling Plue out, let alone any of her other Celestial Spirits. She felt like this _defeat_ meant she lost the right to own any of them.

When she arrived at her home, she noticed a wrapped gift sitting on her bed. On top was a letter in Gray's messy handwriting.

 _Dearest Lucy,_  
I rushed home for your birthday. I wanted to surprise you this morning, but I guess you headed out early. I'll leave this here, since it's a gift that's not exactly appropriate for the guild to see. We can open it together … tonight! Come see me in the guild when you get home. I have another gift for you, a special one, something I know you'll like. Please hurry.  
Love forever,  
Gray

Lucy collapsed to the floor, sobbing loudly as she felt too petty for Gray to get her any type of gift, too disgusting for him to love her, and like such a whore, a failure as a woman. She felt she did not deserve a man as wonderful as Gray. She clutched his letter to her chest, fearing these might be the last kind words she would ever receive from him. When he learned the truth…

Would he stay with her?

Would he blame her? Hate her?

She blamed herself, and hated herself, so she figured of course he would hate her just as much. She feared his rejection. She wondered if it would be better to simply not tell Gray anything, to keep this atrocity secret, so he would never leave her.

Except, if she was pregnant…

There was the option of ending a pregnancy, of course, but a procedure like that was not something she could easily hide from Gray. The bruises, the bite, her broken arm and injured spine, were all too much to hide. Even if she managed to explain everything with lies, Natsu would always be there to torment her. She feared him now. She would never be able to face the Dragon Slayer without reliving that terror.

She needed to tell Gray what really happened.

However, she feared the outcome. She loved Gray so much. It might have all started as a way to get back at Natsu, but her heart had been changed by the ice wizard. She needed him now more than ever, so the fear of losing him was greater than any time before.

"Gray…" she sighed, clutching the letter with wavering hope.

She looked over at the present. A gift for tonight, huh? She had wanted to get something special to wear for Gray, something sexy. She had wanted to go shopping, to hang out with Levy, have a girl's day together. So many plans for this happy day of her birth, all destroyed with one atrocious act.

* * *

Gray walked through the guild doors. Instead of a party, the guild was oddly quiet, and everyone stared worriedly at Gray as he entered. He saw their hard looks and frowned.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Mira was softly crying. "I'm so sorry, Gray."

"Oh God, did the old man finally croak?" he shouted.

"No, Master is fine, he's with the Magic Council," she muttered. "We … that is, Happy…" She dabbed her eyes. "Happy told us. Please, Gray. Don't do anything stupid."

"Happy?" he asked, raising his voice. He saw the blue furball and marched over. Out of everyone in the guild, Happy did not look sad or concerned. He was munching joyfully on a fish. "Happy, what is this all about? Is this about Lucy?"

"Aye! And Natsu," he said, eating his fish without a care.

"What about them?" he shouted, feeling terror. If that bastard hurt her…

"We're gonna be a family," Happy said cheerfully, although his words sent a silent ripple of distress through the rest of the guild.

Gray's world went blank. "You … you're going … to what?"

"Be a family again. That's what Natsu said. He said Lucy is coming back to live with us, and we're gonna be a family. Oh, but first they needed Grownup Time. That's what he used to say when Lucy came over for dinner but stayed for breakfast and Natsu locked the bedroom door and they made all those noises. I tried going back home last night because I forgot my toothbrush, and I heard those noises again. Grownup Time sure does last a long time."

Happy kept talking about the funny noises Lucy made, but Gray did not want to hear it.

"She went back to him?" he whispered in shock. "She fucking went back to him? After all this? What … why…?"

"Told ya," Gajeel said, drinking a cup of mercury. "The bitch has been toying with guys purely to get Natsu jealous. Doesn't matter who she hurts, so long as she gets her stupid revenge."

"Gajeel," Levy warned softly, but too late.

The warning from Loke, the iron Dragon Slayer's scoffs, and Happy's words all crashed into Gray's head, driving out reason, replacing it with pure dark emotions.

"It … it can't be … no," he shuddered. "Happy, you've gotta be mistaken!"

He looked up and blinked in surprise. "Does Grownup Time mean something else?"

"She's _not_ going back to him," he screamed.

"But that's what Natsu said, that Lucy is gonna live with us again, and they were working things out. I'm glad she's not mad at Natsu anymore. He was really sad without her."

"Wor- … Working things out?" Gray cried in disgust. "Since when?"

Was Lucy really playing him this whole time? She said she loved him. She promised never to cheat on him. Gray had fallen so hard in love with her, he really thought she was the one.

Was it all lies?

His head began to spin wildly with dark thoughts. How she led him on, but still flirted with Natsu at the ryokan. How they made love, yet she went out on a mission with Natsu. How she looked at Natsu sometimes, egging him on, flaunting her closeness to Gray. All of it! All lies!

Gray reached into his hair and pulled at it, wishing he could rip out the sounds of her laugh, the moans of her passion, everything that had been going on all these weeks. Just tear it all out before it tore his heart apart.

Juvia came up to him and softly touched his arm. "Gray-sama?"

He pulled away harshly and lashed out at her. His ice-covered hand slapped Juvia so hard, it made her crash into a table. "Stay away from me!" he screamed, shocking everyone. "I can't trust you. Can't trust anyone. Can't even trust the girl I love."

"Gray," Wendy said in worry at the madness in his wide eyes.

Carla huffed, "Calm down before you do something stupid."

"Stupid?" Gray laughed insanely. "I've already done something stupid. Falling in love! What an idiot! I must have made a really good puppet for her. Probably hilarious to all of you, right?" he accused, glaring at the whole guild. "It seems like everyone else could see that I was just being used by her. I bet you were all laughing."

Laxus muttered to himself, "I was wondering how long her new boy toy would last."

Mira tried to hush him, but too late. They all heard him.

"That bitch!" Gray screamed. "That damn, cheating cunt!"

"Stop it, Gray," Lisanna said with tears in her eyes. "Lucy would never do something so horrible, and Natsu would never…"

"Natsu is a fucking asshole who would do anything to _beat me_ ," Gray shouted. His lips pulled back in a sneer. "I'll kill him," he growled madly. "I'll fucking kill them both."

"Gray," Mira scolded sternly.

He turned with a raging scream of anguish and ran out of the guild before anyone could see his tears. The ground behind him froze over like a freak blizzard. He slammed the door shut behind him hard enough to shake the rafters.

"Gray!" Mira yelled again. She ran after him, slipping a bit on the icy floor. When she pulled on the doors, they had been iced over as well, locking the wizards inside.

Juvia rubbed her bruised cheek with tears in her eyes. "Gray-sama wouldn't really hurt them, would he?"

Laxus had still not even looked up from his plate of steak. "If he does, I'll kill him."

"Stop it, all of you," Mira warned. She looked at the ice-covered door. "I'm really worried. Can someone melt these doors for me?"

"Oh, let me!" Romeo eagerly offered, but his small purple flame did a slow job of the massive doors.

"Screw that," Laxus grumbled. He pointed a finger, a lightning bolt shot out, and both doors shattered into splinters of frozen wood. "Go after that idiot. It'll make the guild look bad if we start fighting amongst ourselves, right?"

Mira was glad Laxus had learned from his own foul past, and she hoped there could be the same redemption in this case of twisted, psychotic love. "Wendy, can you help me find Lucy?"

"I can try to sniff her out, although my nose isn't that strong," the little girl said meekly.

"We need to reach her before Gray does. Hopefully, he'll go after Natsu first. Those two are evenly matched in strength, so I don't think Gray will actually kill him … I hope." She bit her lip, really worried about Gray's volatile emotions. "Let's go, and hurry."

Mira and Wendy took off after Gray, praying they could stop a tragedy.


	12. Feel the Pain Getting Bigger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Not every tragedy has a happy outcome. Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel, is the "light at the end of the tunnel."_  
> 
> _Today is this story's two-year birthday. Yep, it took me TWO FRIGGING YEARS to reach this monumental scene. Actually, this chapter was one of the first that I wrote, because most of it is taken right out of the AMV, including some of the dialogue. Cheers!_
> 
> **To assure my concerned followers, I'm not "overdoing it" while I heal from a broken wrist. This chapter was 90% done at the time of my injury. All I had to do was add the intro. Slowly. One-handed.**

_Where am I? I don't remember getting here. I don't remember…_

_She lied. She lied to me. She cheated on me. Just like back then. Just like…_

_Why does this happen? Don't they realize how much it hurts? Don't they realize how hard it is to trust again, to love again, to open up your heart after it has been scarred? Don't they realize?_

_Just like back then. Like with_ **her** _. She said she loved me, but I caught her. I caught her with that man. I caught them…_

_This is why I didn't want to love again. This is why I froze my heart. But I thought, at least Lucy was okay. Lucy wouldn't do that. Lucy wouldn't cheat on me. I thought, if anyone in this world could actually love me and not cheat on me, at least her. At least Lucy._

_Why, Lucy? Dammit,_ **why** _? I loved you … so much! I wanted you, to have you with me forever. So why?_

_It hurts. My chest. It hurts so much._

_Dammit, Lucy! I could forgive you flirting with other guys. I could overlook the way you smiled at Natsu, but this…_

_Just like back then…_

_I can't think straight. I can't even feel. I don't want to feel. Where am I?_

_It hurts!_

_She doesn't understand this pain._

_She should feel this pain._

_She should be made to understand how much this hurts. Having your heart torn out slowly. Having all of your love and trust mocked and destroyed. It hurts. My heart hurts._

_She should feel how much this hurts._

_She should hurt!_

_She should_ **suffer** _._

_For making me hurt this badly, for lying and cheating and using me…_

_Just like back then. Like that other girlfriend who slept with that guy, who cheated on me, and then laughed when I found them together in bed. Laughed at me, said I was so stupid for not realizing it sooner. She laughed and mocked me, while naked in bed with that man. It hurts! Just like back then._

_I can't feel my feet._

_Where am I? Where am I going now?_

_My chest hurts._

_She should hurt._

_She should feel what it's like._

_Lucy should suffer like I do._

_I want her to suffer!_

_Revenge!_

_REVENGE!_

**REVENGE!**

* * *

Lucy sat against a tree in town, wearing long sleeves to cover the bruises, yet they were still visible on her cheeks and legs, dark purplish-red marks left behind to show the violence. The hit to her head had also swollen a lot over the past few hours. She probably had a concussion. She knew she needed to see a hospital, at least about her broken wrist and injured spine. However, they would question. A girl does not get injuries like this due to a simple slip in the shower. Although her back still throbbed, she was scared of going to a doctor, only to have the whole true exposed.

She was not ready to go through that yet. It was too soon, too fresh, the shame still too painful.

She knew deep in her heart, she should report what happened. It was the right thing to do. Keeping quiet would only lead to something worse. However, if she reported this, then Natsu would get arrested. She did not want that, either. She felt it was her fault for leading him on, he was only reacting to her own actions, and she felt immense guilt at driving him to that level of madness. Still, she knew she had to report it eventually.

Later.

For now, she cried. It was her birthday, yet she had been avoiding everyone. The present Gray left stung her. She held it in her hands now, unopened. She wanted to open it with him, but right then she did not have the nerve to look for him.

How could she face him after this?

_'Why did it turn out like this? He didn't deserve this.'_

She cried softly. She would lose Natsu. She had to report it, and he would be arrested. Everyone would know what happened. Natsu would tell the judge and everyone else what Lucy did to get even with him, how her pride destroyed their friendship, turning it into some sick, twisted, psychotic love.

"What have I done?" she cried to herself as fresh tears came to her eyes. "This is all my fault."

She had to report it, but first she had to explain things to Gray. She needed to confess her sins. Right now, she had to trust him. She had to throw everything onto him and hope he would still stand by her side.

_'I'll explain everything to him. I'm sure he'll forgive me. He'll understand.'_

She wiped away her tears. Yes, Gray would stay by her. She wronged him, but he would smile, hug her, comfort her tears away, and stand beside her at any trial against Natsu for what he did. She had to believe he would still love her. She needed someone by her side or she could never continue.

She stared into the sky. It was the same color as Gray's eyes, as if he was smiling at her, already forgiving her.

_'Yes, I'll tell him. I have to!'_

She dropped her head down and smiled privately. Gray had been so wonderful. Maybe he was a bit possessive, but she liked that. If anyone would stay by her, surely it was him.

She heard footsteps that stopped right in front of her. She looked up to see the familiar white coat, but the face that loomed over her was darker, the eyes like ice that could stab a person's heart.

"Gray!" she gasped. Just by his face, she knew he must have heard bad news.

"Look at you, Lucy," he smirked arrogantly. There was something strange about his voice. It did not sound like Gray at all. "Dressed up nice, aren't you? Ready to have fun on your birthday? Or maybe you already had your fun…" His lip curled up in a sneer. "…with Natsu."

Her eyes widened in shock, and then in horror. If Gray had heard a different version about what happened, of course he would be furious. "No, Gray, you see…"

"You toyed with me," he accused.

"Gray…"

"You only wanted to use me to get back at Natsu."

"You don't understand," she sobbed. "He…"

"You betrayed me," he accused coldly. "You went off and had an affair with that damn bastard."

"No!" she sobbed, but her throat choked up. An affair? What had Gray heard? Why would he think that? Why was this happening? The one man she thought would shield her was already accusing her of the worst thing possible. "If you'll just listen…"

He threw off his coat and shirt in one swift move. "You wanted to hurt him, right? You wanted him to ache and desire you. Tell me if I'm wrong."

"I…"

She could not deny that, even as tears of sadness fell down her cheeks. That was precisely what she had wanted, and she had felt so justified the whole time as she used Gray to seek revenge. Now, accused directly, she realized just how awful her plan was to anyone around her. Her personal justifications seemed so petty now.

She cried to him, "I didn't want it to go this far. Really, I didn't!"

He shook his head at her, feeling only betrayal and pain. "You should have thought about that before you fucked with me. I warned you…" He laughed in a strange way while tears dripped unnoticed from his eyes. "Goddammit, I warned you. The one thing I can't stand, the one thing that can really make me _snap like a fucking lunatic_ ," he shrieked, only to suddenly drop his voice, "is when someone fucks with my heart and cheats on me! Just like back then. It hurts, Lucy. It would have been better if you simply broke up with me and told me honestly that you loved him still…"

"But I—"

"…instead of _lying_ , cheating, going behind my back, and playing with my emotions," he lashed out over her. "People who do that … are my _enemies_!"

He pounded his fist into his hand, and a pale blue magic circle lit up around him. Lucy stared in confusion at first. Slowly, the truth dawned on her like a hollow bell ringing in an abandoned church.

"Gray … you wouldn't," she whispered.

More tears fell down as his face lit up blue from increasing magic. "Dammit, I loved you. But you went too … damn … far."

"You don't understand…"

"You wanted Natsu to feel the pain you experienced, right?" he asked bitterly as the air around him frosted over. "Isn't it fair that I make you feel the same pain I feel now? I loved you, but this … it's like someone just tore my heart out. It hurts, Lucy." He gave her a sardonic, insane smile as tears rolled down. "It hurts bad. Knowing you were playing around with him, toying with him at the same time you were _claiming_ you loved me … you can't begin to imagine how much that hurts. Then to find out you let him fuck you while my back was turned."

That infuriated her. How dare he accuse her of _that_. "I didn't!" she screamed.

"You should feel just how bad it hurts. You should feel just what kind of pain you're putting me through."

"But Gray…"

"Ice-Make…"

"Oh God." She realized the direness of the moment, the insanity in his eyes, and she yanked out the first key she touched. "Open the Gate of the—"

"…Spear."

A sharp lance of ice shot out. Blood splattered over his bare skin. Lucy made a hiccup noise as the spike pierced straight through her chest. She looked down, shocked and confused at the frosty ice that pierced her heart. She figured he might attack in anger, but this…

This…

She gazed up silently to Gray. Her hand dropped the golden key, and it fell useless to the grass.

He stared at Lucy's eyes as they widened in surprise and began to dim as her life faded. No words came to her mouth. Her lips moved, but he could not tell what she was trying to say. He retracted the spear, and it melted in the summer sun, leaving behind no evidence. Gray never blinked as Lucy fell to the grass, first to her knees, staring at the hole in her chest, then her body collapsed to the side, and her head hit the bloodied grass.

She stretched her hand out with a weak smile, as if asking to be forgiven at the very end. "Gray," she whispered. "I … I'm so … sor-…" Then her hand fell limp to the grass.

Gray closed his eyes and turned away. It was over so fast, yet he knew his revenge was only halfway finished. Still, he loved her once, and for the sake of those deep feelings that had been destroyed, he at least granted her a swift death.

"Goodbye, Lucy."

He walked away with a shadow to his face and eyes set to a dark purpose. Lucy hardly suffered at all, but Natsu … he would kill that fire-breathing bastard slowly, very slowly, and as painfully as he could. He would find the cathartic release from his bitter feelings in the tortured screams of the Dragon Slayer who destroyed every bit of happiness and sanity in Gray's heart.

He would have his revenge!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I've told this to a few readers already. When I saw the AMV, I wanted to write it out as a full story because it reminded me of things that actually happened to me, one being a bit of a love triangle._
> 
> _My first boyfriend dumped me for no good reason besides "it's not fun anymore." I decided to just move on; it was my first love, he was a bit abusive anyway, so I forced myself to keep smiling despite the feeling of betrayal. He didn't like that I looked so happy without him (not knowing I was sobbing inside) so he began dating my best friend purely to get me angry._
> 
> _It worked! I was ready to just let the past go and remain as friends, but jealousy can drive even a quiet, shy girl like me into a psychotic desire for revenge._
> 
> _I got even by dating other boys, then occasionally flirting with him as well, only to deny him as soon as he showed interest. I kept assuring my best friend (now his girlfriend) that I had no interest in dating him again … which was true. He was an asshole, I definitely did NOT want him back. I only wanted him to realize how much I hurt when he suddenly dumped me, and secretly I wanted him to break up with my friend before she also got abused by him. Of course, teasing a boy known for being destructive is plain stupid. I realize that now in hindsight._
> 
> _After a few months of mentally tormenting him, he snapped. One day, he beat the crap out of me and tried to rape me. (I mentioned this in Chapter 10's notes.) Luckily, he's no dragon slayer! I wouldn't say I kicked his butt, but I put up enough of a fight to make him give up. Although I didn't tell anyone what happened, rumors spread, twisted in the way rumors tend to be. The new girlfriend believed the gossip that we had sex. She had been cheated on before, and she went totally psycho, threatening this asshole with a knife. Luckily, I disarmed her before she could stab anyone. No cool ice magic, just one crazy teen drama, with me as the bitchy ex-girlfriend, acting in a way that was totally out of character, yet in the heat of passion and the poisonous desire for revenge, people will act in really stupid, horrible, hurtful ways._
> 
> _So, the AMV felt like an uncanny reminder of what was the darkest moment of my life. Some parts in this story, such as Lucy's "logic" for tormenting Natsu, are things I actually thought at the time. Even if it's OOC for the characters in the manga, it really is a situation that can happen to normal teens, even the shy bookworms like me._
> 
> _On a happy note, although I wouldn't call her my "best friend" anymore, that girl and I calmed down, realized we both despised the boyfriend for how he treated us, and we still email one another even now, over a decade later. And the bastard? He's now balding and fat, and I killed him off in the fanfic "Beastly Possession." Karma is sweet!_


	13. Go Insane From the Bitter Feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Let's just assume both of these guys are clinically insane at this point. That saves me from reading a few dozen comments ranting that Gray and Natsu are OOC. Of course they're "out of character." This is Moonlessnight's story, where Natsu raped Lucy and Gray just stabbed her, all out of psychotic lust and revenge. Let's move past that._
> 
> _Sorry it took a while. Fight scenes are my worst, and this one … is intense!_

Rusty hinges squealed like maddened banshees as Gray slowly pushed open a metal door. Inside was dark compared to the early July sun, and he stood on the threshold waiting for his eyes to adjust. A warehouse. Somehow, this was appropriate, almost cliché, but it was fine with Gray. No one would see them. No one else would get hurt. There had been enough blood today.

He looked down at his hands stained red. Part of his mind ached to know that was Lucy's blood, and part of him knew she had just been the first step to clearing away everything _wrong_ with his life.

When he glared into the darkness again, it was easier to see. He felt like the shadows were welcoming him. He closed the door behind him, shutting away the last bit of light, committing himself to the darkness. He took six steps in before crunching against some broken glass on the dusty floor.

"Took you long enough."

Gray swung his eyes left, then right. The voice seemed to come from everywhere. He stayed still, sensing beyond eyes and ears. He felt heat. Right side, up ahead.

"I guessed you would come after me. Good location?"

Gray continued forward, not dropping his guard. "As good as any. I'm guessing they won't find your body for a few days here."

"Cocky as ever, stripper."

From behind a brick pillar, Natsu slithered around into view, his arms folded, a smirk on his face, his eyes narrow and wild with insanity.

"I guess you talked to Lucy, huh?"

Gray glared in disgust at the mention of her name. "I've taken care of her."

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, I might have gotten a bit … rough." He heard a soft growl from Gray and smiled arrogantly. "She loved every minute of it."

Frost burst out in pale blue clouds around Gray as his teeth gritted until they nearly cracked. What he had heard from Happy, Lucy and Natsu … an affair … she went back to him … betrayed their love … and this bastard, this goddamn flaming bastard … fucking the woman Gray loved so much it drove him crazy to even _think_ of her with anyone else … to think Lucy went back to Natsu!

"So, now we fight for her?" the Dragon Slayer asked, looking casual about it.

Gray had to laugh. Fight for her? For that lying, cheating whore? "I'm done with Lucy."

Natsu arched an eyebrow in confusion. "You really are cold."

"It's all your fault, Natsu." The chill swirled around him. "I'm not here to fight you. I'm here to kill you."

Natsu nodded as he thought about that. "A fight to the death? I always knew it'd come: you and me, one final fight to decide it all." He chuckled softly, then barked a laugh, then broke into maddened howls of laughter. Gray stood still as he watched. This was not like Natsu at all.

He was mad! He was insane!

"I guess—" Natsu stopped laughing and grinned psychotically at Gray. "—I finally get to kill you!"

He moved quickly, boosted by flames. Natsu charged with forceful fists aimed towards Gray's stomach. The thud of knuckles against flesh echoed through the warehouse. Natsu had a satisfactory grin when he saw a splash of red spill out of Gray's mouth.

"First blood," the Dragon Slayer cackled.

Instantly, Gray had an ice knife in his hand and thrust it at Natsu's stomach. The Dragon Slayer leaped back, but his shirt was sliced from the sharp blade and his skin split just a little.

"Bastard!" Natsu sneered. "Since when do you aim for vital organs?"

"Since you laid your disgusting hands on Lucy," Gray snarled. "You're dead, Natsu! I don't care about whatever ties we had. I can forgive a lot of the crap you do, but this … you went _too damn far_."

The knife in his hand glowed and grew into a spear. He hurled it at Natsu, and it caught him in the lower rib before the flames could melt the rest.

"You're an enemy, Natsu," Gray said coldly. "You're not even human."

Natsu flinched at that.

"You're a demon after all," he said softly. "Which means it's okay if I kill you."

Natsu's eyes narrowed, and a faint flash of red glinted in them. "This won't be a fight. It'll be an obliteration. Ice will never beat fire. Summer always melts the Winter."

The air around Gray began to freeze. "No. Winter kills Summer."

Natsu coughed. It was so cold, he could barely breathe. It felt like the air, even the blood in his veins, was starting to freeze and crystallize.

"Freeze and shatter, you sonuvabitch."

Gray snapped his fingers, and spires of ice exploded up from the ground, encasing Natsu. The frozen formation was tinted with blood.

"Now, to end it," Gray sighed.

Suddenly, he smelled smoke and realized his shirt was on fire. He threw it off with a cry. The air around him scalded, and he thought he smelled burning hair before he forced out enough cold magic to counter the spontaneous inferno. Natsu burst out of the ice and roared as he leaped at Gray with madness in the whites of his eyes.

Fists collided, feet kicked, and the air began to steam as fire and ice clashed furiously.

"Wanna know something about Lucy?" Natsu taunted as they exchanged blows.

Gray blocked a flaming kick with a small shield of ice and slashed out with a gleaming ice sword. "I don't want to hear you say anything about her."

"Oh, but this is important," Natsu chuckled, grinning fiendishly. "I did Lucy twice yesterday. Well, twice for me. I'm not sure how many times I made her come. It's nice to hear that whinny sound she makes just as she loses control."

"Fuck you!" Gray shrieked, lashing out with bullets of ice.

Natsu swung up his arms, and a wall of flames melted the oncoming attack. "Oh, but I'm getting to the good part. Did you know that Lucy stopped taking her birth control pills?"

Gray faltered and went still. "She … what?" She had been so strict about that, and it was a good thing since they did not often use condoms.

"Well, it was my idea," Natsu confessed lightly. "I wanted to start a family. I smelled it this morning." Natsu smiled proudly. "I'm gonna be a papa!"

Going … to be…

A whole new level of fury froze Gray's heart.

_So, not only did she go behind my back and sleep with him, she was planning on starting a family with him? On marrying him! When I … I … what I bought for her birthday…_

Rage soared in Gray's body as adrenaline flowed through every fiber of his being. He wanted to spill blood! Her blood was now not enough. He should have done worse to her. She got off easy because he had loved her. So Natsu had to pay. Natsu had to take her share of this sin. Gray would kill him. No … torture him. Slowly, painfully.

Gray was close enough to grab Natsu's muffler. He yanked the scarf hard until that hot body stumbled into him.

"I'll add to your scar," Gray growled with a vicious smirk.

He bared his teeth and bit into Natsu's neck. Natsu screamed horrifically in pain, but when he yanked away, those teeth did not loosen up. He heard a rip and felt pain so intense, he could not see for a moment. Wetness flowed down from his neck, and he saw bloody flesh still in Gray's teeth. Quickly, Natsu slapped his palm on the skin and burned the flesh, cauterizing the bite to keep the blood from pouring out. Still, the pain made him dizzy, rendering him useless for few seconds.

Gray spat out the bloody piece of flesh and snickered quietly as he watched Natsu suffering. He would take this bastard apart piece by piece. He would destroy everything about him, just as this flaming sonuvabitch had destroyed Gray's happiness.

While Natsu was still stunned, Gray clutched the pink strands of hair and brought his knee up, slamming into Natsu's rip cage, feeling the cracking of bones from the impact.

"I will break you!" the ice wizard hissed.

Natsu could not breathe, but he fisted his hand, braced his elbow from underneath, and punched right up at Gray's jaw, making him almost flip. Gray stumbled back a few steps, clutching his mouth as he felt a tooth floating around on his tongue. He spit it out along with a stream of gushing blood.

Giving no break, Natsu's right hand flamed and pulled back. He saw Gray's eyes flick over to the fire, focused on the impending attack. Instead of punching, Natsu reached forward with his left hand and grabbed hold of Gray's arm. In the moment of shock at the deceptive move, the Dragon Slayer's right hand matched it, and he snapped the bone in his mighty grip.

Gray gasped as he heard the shattering crack and saw a sharp edge of bone pierce through his skin. He did not have even have time to scream. It was more just shock. He had seen Natsu fight hundreds of times. He never once saw Natsu do something this outright dirty.

He rammed his knee into Natsu's balls, making the Dragon Slayer double over. Then Gray fell back. His arm flopped at the break with blood pouring through the ragged gash. No time to set it, definitely he would need surgery. For now, he straightened the arm as well as he could, finally screaming as muscles tore with the movement, and froze the whole area in a bloody ice cast.

_Shit, that's going to make this fight harder!_

He saw that Natsu had recovered and was running at him with murder blazing in his eyes. Gray froze the ground under them both and kicked Natsu on his side, breaking two more ribs. Blood coughed out, but Natsu threw a swirling fireball at Gray instead. A shield of crystallized ice blocked the blast, although Natsu had made it so hot, it blazed around, melting the ice all across the floor.

They both pulled back in pain. Still, they glared at each other, waiting for the next move, cauterizing cuts and icing wounds during this brief reprieve.

"You're dead, Natsu," Gray said in a raspy voice. "You took everything away from me."

"What do you know?" Natsu screamed. "You're the one in the way. You're the one who _touched_ her. Lucy is mine." Natsu suddenly leaped at him. "Mine!"

Gray met his blows, fighting one-handed. Too many punches hit him, but he managed to block other hits with small shields of ice popping up everywhere Natsu's fists aimed.

"My whole future!" Gray growled. "Everything I wanted … with her. That happy future. I'll never see it!" he screamed.

His hand stretched right in front of Natsu's vision. The instant Natsu smelled ice and felt the building chill, he quickly turned his face and pulled back, just as Gray spewed out ice needles from his palm. One needle pierced right into Natsu's eye. He fell back, grabbing his face and roaring in pain.

"I'll take it all away from you," Gray growled, stalking forward as the whole warehouse began to frost over with crackling icicles. "Everything. Your vision, your hearing, your pride, your dignity. Taking your life isn't enough. I will take it all away first, until you have nothing, until you're empty, and you feel this abyss I'm in now. I will rob you of everything," he hissed.

Natsu laughed as he pulled the ice shard out of his eye and touched it with a tiny amount of flame. He could still see with that eye, the stab had been to the side, but wisps of red blood floated past his vision. He knew that in a few minutes his eyeball would be filled with blood until he went blind. He could get it fixed, or even replaced. He didn't care about having one eye. All that mattered was that he had Lucy.

"I still have her," he whispered in victory.

Gray had to laugh. Have her? She was gone. He had dealt with that lying traitor. "No one can have her," he chuckled. "Especially not you. You left her Natsu."

"No," he sneered.

"You made Lucy cry. You broke her heart."

"No!" he screamed.

"She changed for the worst when you broke up with her. I thought I was making her better, but … I guess not," he shrugged, feeling like maybe he had let her down. He had not even asked _why_ she went back to Natsu. Maybe he was not a very good boyfriend after all. "If you had never hurt her … if you had just never messed around with her in the first place," he sneered in accusation. His fists shivered as all of his pain and heartache focused in as pure hatred toward Natsu. "I bet you never _truly_ loved her from the beginning. All you've done lately is hurt her."

Natsu jolted, remembering with a brief moment of lucidity just how Lucy had looked that morning. He had hurt her badly, broken her arm, probably sprained if not cracked her back, and she had bruises all over her body.

"No," he shivered. "No, I didn't … I never…"

He had raped her.

"No!"

He had tortured her.

" _No!_ " he screamed as his eyes widened and shook.

He had lied to her, beaten her, violated her, forcefully gotten her pregnant.

"I didn't." Natsu's hands reached up into his hair and ripped at the pink strands. "I would never … no. Not her. Not Lucy."

Gray coldly glared at the insane man. "You were the worst thing to have ever happened in her life."

Natsu felt his heart shattering. "Nooo!"

He had hurt her. Raped her. Broken her.

"You … made me," he trembled. Fire suddenly blazed in his wild eyes as he glared up at Gray. "You _made_ me," he snarled.

Natsu leaped forward, bolstered by enraged flames, and he aimed a flaming foot at Gray. The Ice-Make wizard instantly had a shield up, but Natsu shattered the barrier. Gray got kicked directly into his stomach and flung halfway across the room until he slammed so hard into one of the warehouse's support pillars, pieces of concrete broke off and fell around him.

Natsu pounced on top of him. "It's your fault." He grabbed one of the large chunks of concrete and slammed it against Gray's skull. "Your fault, Gray! Your fault!"

He pounded the stone down again and again. Laughter took over the rage as he saw blood painting the sharp edges of the concrete and splattering over the ground. His grin stretched insanely, and his one good eye gazed in a sick perversion of joy while the other eye filled with blood.

_Yes, if I kill Gray, Lucy will be mine, all mine, and then we can have a family. No one would dare take her away again, not after they see how Gray paid the price. This is what he gets. This is the punishment for stealing from a dragon._

Natsu dropped the rock and saw Gray's face bloodied, cut up, his nose broken, a gash in his scalp slicking his hair with crimson, and blood, blood, _blood!_ He laughed. It was all so funny. Here they had fought with fire and ice for years, but in the end they had resorted to mere stones and their own fists.

Appropriate, he figured, that this execution should be carried out with his own hands. While Gray was moaning and trying to stay conscious, Natsu reached down and wrapped his fingers around the thick throat. He looked eerily calm as he began to squeeze. Slowly, he tightened, more, more, _tighter!_

Gray choked and tried to grab at Natsu's wrist, but only one hand now worked. The Dragon Slayer glared quietly as he crushed the throat with both hands. He had never strangled someone; he had never in his life honestly set out to kill a human, even enemies. He was amazed at how fragile the neck felt in his fingers. He listened to gargled cries and watched as skin squeezed between his fingers. Natsu's hands sizzled with fire and began to burn the delicate skin on Gray's throat.

Spit splattered out of Gray's mouth as he choked in pain. Natsu looked ready to rip his head completely off. The ice wizard was nearly unconscious already from the skull bashing, but he grabbed the Dragon Slayer's neck with his good hand, desperately ripping and scratching at the bite from earlier. Natsu grimaced as the wound began to bleed again, but his crushing squeeze did not loosen. Gray could not fight back hard enough with just one hand. His lungs burned for air, and he felt a pop in his neck bone. His eyes began to roll back.

No! No, it could not end this way. It couldn't!

Even if it meant he had to end this quickly, he was not going to lose.

As his vision began to black out, Gray focused on the broken arm and the bloody cast. He molded the frozen blood to a massive slicing blade running from his elbow up to his wrist. Natsu's attention was solely on Gray's weakening face, laughing and gloating as he figured victory was nigh. Gray summoned up the last of his strength and swooshed the blade over Natsu's abdomen.

Blood gushed out, and Natsu instantly let go. He fell back as he grabbed his stomach and the intestines about to pour out. He felt a squishing softness and pushed it all back in. He had to fix this, fast! Before he could attack, he had to cauterize this massive gash or he really would die in mere minutes.

Gray scrambled to his feet, coughing and inhaling deeply for air. Gasps wheezed through his crushed throat, and for a few seconds Gray wondered if his neck truly had been crushed together. However, air filled his lungs, and the dizziness slowly receded. The burned imprint of fingers on his skin itched even as he rubbed out the pain with chilled hands.

Slowly, his breathing returned to normal. Then Gray opened his eyes and glared up at Natsu with murderous intent. He cracked an insane snicker as he saw the puddle of blood at Natsu's feet and his desperate attempts to burn shut the disemboweling wound.

"You want Lucy that badly? I'll send you to her."

Natsu still leaned over from the injury and panted. "Wha- … What do you mean, send me to her? I thought you were trying to kill me."

Gray's eyes were harder than a winter pond. Suddenly, Natsu forgot to breathe as the truth shocked and horrified him.

"What? Don't tell me she's dead?" The hard eyes did not waver in the least. "No … no way. She's … dead? Lucy? _No!_ " he shrieked as tears came to his eyes. "N-no. No, she can't be. She can't! How? I wasn't _that_ rough with her. Really, I wasn't. It _couldn't_ have been me," he bellowed, shivering in dread.

"It wasn't you," Gray said frigidly. A sadistic smile curled onto his face. Seeing Natsu broken like this was a sweet victory. At last, he had taken everything from Natsu.

"You killed Lucy? But … but she … no! Fucker, _why_?" he screamed, and his voice cracked.

"Why?" Gray chuckled wryly, getting his magic ready with a massive glowing circle under his feet. "Who knows? Jealousy's a horrible thing, isn't it?"

"Jealous?" Natsu asked slowly.

"She wanted you back. Now she can have you for eternity. Ice-Make…"

Natsu began to laugh, and it threw off Gray's concentration. It began as a chuckle and grew. His head tilted back as he held his belly at the roaring laughs that shook his whole body.

"Bastard, what's up with you?" Gray glared.

"Wanted me back? You … you killed her." He snorted with amusement while tears of grief and madness came to his eyes. "Oh damn, Gray. I knew you were an idiot but … oh damn, that's too much. You killed her?" he asked mockingly. "I really don't know if I want to laugh at how much of an idiot you are or cry because you killed the girl I love. Oh damn, this is … it's so fucking horrible, it's beyond fucked up, but I just can't help it." He wiped a tear. "I wanna laugh at you, and I wanna kill you. This … damn, my brain feels really messed up." He rubbed his hand through his hair. "Am I crazy? Maybe this is what it's like to snap and go insane. Haha! I … I shouldn't be laughing, but … you … you killed her … thinking she wanted me back. Really, I wonder what Lucy thought at the very end. She was probably ready to cry into your arms, and instead you turned against her, too."

Gray's hands lowered slightly. What the hell was up with this Dragon Slayer to laugh over Lucy's death? Turned against her … _too_? What did that mean?

Natsu had a sadistic, insane smile. "Lucy didn't cheat on you, asshole. Not in the way you think, at least. She was loyal to you."

"You fucked her, didn't you?" shouted Gray. _Oh God, if Happy was wrong…_

"Sure did," he purred. "She felt as soft and moist as ever. It's nice to know your icicle dick didn't leave freezer burns in her pussy."

"You goddamn—"

"But you see," Natsu butted in, and his eyes narrowed dangerously, "she wasn't exactly … _willing_."

"Wasn't…?" Gray's words of confusion froze. "Oh … God."

Harrowing realization pierced into Gray like a million shards of ice stabbing him all at once. For the first time since he was a child, Gray felt a cold shiver wrack over his whole body. He felt like screaming, crying, and vomiting all at the same time.

"Oh God," he whispered in utter horror. "What have I done? You … you…"

Natsu's eyes burned with twisted pleasure as he saw the damning truth dawn on Gray's face. If ever the two of them could land a definitive victory over the other, this moment was it, and Natsu gloated in the dark thrill of seeing his rival so horrified and shattered.

"That's right, Gray," the Dragon Slayer said in slithering pleasure, and a demonic smile spread over his beaten face. "I raped her!"


	14. Ending #1: Neutral Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**IMPORTANT EXPLANATION** : Moonlessnight126's AMV, which this whole story is based upon, ends on a cliffhanger right at Natsu's confession of the rape, leaving the audience to come up with their own conclusion about Gray's reaction to the horrific truth._
> 
> _I couldn't pick a single ending, so I made three: Neutral Ending, Sad Ending, and Happy Ending. You pick which one you like. Enjoy!_
> 
> _First, something where no one wins, and no one loses._

"I raped her!"

Gray's mind went blank at hearing those words. He realized that Lucy had been trying to tell him something, and he did not listen. He had jumped to conclusions before hearing her out. He had killed her when she probably wanted him to protect her from Natsu.

His magic ended altogether, and his arms dropped weakly to his side. He thought Natsu might take the opportunity to attack, yet the Dragon Slayer just stood there, pleased that his revenge against Gray had worked so well.

"Lucy wanted you to get pissed. It worked," the Ice-Make wizard muttered. "You wanted me to be angry at Lucy. That worked, too."

"And what do you want?" Natsu asked, still looking smug.

Gray shook his head. "Want? I have no clue anymore. Desires lead to pain and death. I don't want desires anymore. What do I want? Oblivion? Nirvana?" he wondered. "A world without happiness or sadness, without wants or desires." He looked up at Natsu with a sad face. Then he nodded his head to the door. "Go," he said in defeat.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Go? You're giving up?"

"I want whatever Lucy would have wanted. A while back, she asked me to fight you if you ever hurt her. She wanted us to fight over her, but this … this isn't a fight over her anymore. It's just two people trying to murder each other. Lucy…" Gray gulped dryly as anger seeped back into pain and regret. "She wouldn't want either of us to die," he said with tears in his eyes. "I want to do what will make her spirit happy. So go. Just go," he sneered. "Leave Magnolia, leave Fairy Tail, and go somewhere far, far away. For hurting Lucy, you deserve death a thousand times," he growled, "but it's not what she'd want. If she did, she would have gone to the police immediately and reported you. She wouldn't have … have hesitated … telling me." Tears burned his eyes. "She didn't tell me. She probably knew I'd want to kill you. She said, 'I didn't want it to go this far.' She wanted us to brawl over her, not fight to the death. So … just go. However, I'm warning you now, Natsu Dragneel." Icy fury crackled in his eyes. "If I ever see you again, I'll fucking kill you."

Natsu stared at him, debating this act of mercy. With his stomach as bad as it was, there was no way he could fight. They both seriously needed hospitals. The fight was over; they were still equal in strength. He asked, "What are you going to tell the guild?"

"Nothing," Gray whispered raspily. "I'm leaving, too. I'll head north, up to the mountains, live somewhere in the woods like Ur did. Who knows, maybe I'll take in a couple of brats and teach them Ice-Make magic."

Natsu nodded with understanding. "In that case, I'll head east."

Gray let out a sigh, as if his entire soul had aged. "We both fucked up so badly."

"Lucy fucked up, too," Natsu pointed out. "She was playing us both. She _wanted_ us to fight."

"Guess so," Gray muttered. "All three of us are idiots going to hell."

"Then save me a seat in the hand-basket," Natsu smirked. He walked away and lifted his hand in a farewell wave. "See ya, droopy-eyes."

"See ya in hell, flame-brain," Gray muttered. Then he also turned and headed north, determined to get as far away as possible from this cursed town and escape the psychotic love that haunted it.

* * *

In another part of town, Wendy was focused over Lucy's body. The park was empty, people were still at home eating breakfast, so it was lucky that they found her before anyone else came and assumed she was dead. Indeed, Mira thought as much when she saw the blonde in a puddle of blood.

"It's working," Wendy said faintly. "It'll be enough."

Her healing green glow faded, and the tiny Dragon Slayer slumped forward. Mira patted her back. It was lucky she had taken Wendy with her.

Lucy's eyes opened slowly. "Gray?" Then she saw their faces. "Mira? Wendy?" She gasped and tried to sit up, but the pain in her chest splintered the nerves in her body.

"Don't move!" Wendy cried out. "It was a horrible wound, and I could only heal your heart a little. I'll try to do more later. I just … I need to rest."

Lucy stared up into the sky. She remembered the look in Gray's eyes as he watched her fall.

"Gray…" A tear dripped down her cheek. "I … I need to report something."

She had been too scared and ashamed to tell Gray before, and it led to this horrific misunderstanding. Now, she knew she had to tell the truth. As much as it hurt, as horrible as it was to admit her part in all of this, she had to tell people what really happened.

"Natsu … and Gray…"

* * *

_A/N: Okay, it was only fair to make something neutral, something where no one dies, it's not a happy ending but not a tragic ending. Personally, I think this ending sucks, haha!_

**NEXT: SAD ENDING**


	15. Ending #2: Sad Ending

"I raped her!"

Gray's mind swirled. Flashes of memories randomly came back to him. He thought back to the ryokan trip the team had taken, just as he and Lucy were beginning to hook up. He had not thought much about it back then, but now Gray shivered to think that maybe Lucy knew something about Natsu's violent nature.

_"I'm scared of Natsu sometimes. What if he gets jealous? If he tried anything, would you fight him for me?"  
"If he dares to touch you, I'll kill that fucking flame-brain!"_

Slowly, his cold eyes raised to meet Natsu's insane gaze. "You … _youuu_ …"

"You heard me," Natsu said slyly. "She didn't go down easily, either. It's a shame, but I had to get rough. I broke her wrist, probably her back … I had planned to apologize to her later. It was her own fault, though. She fought hard, kept insisting she was in love with you. All lies, of course," he reasoned. "She's my mate for life, after all. I just had to remind her. I guess, in the end, you proved my point. I wasn't the worst thing to ever happen to Lucy. _You_ were, Gray."

Gray covered his mouth as he felt ready to vomit. "Oh my God. What did I do?"

"Killed your girlfriend in a fit of rage," Natsu answered flatly. "It's a common story. How about I send you to the next life so you can be with her again?" A fiery magic circle formed around the Dragon Slayer's hands.

"Next life?" Gray mused, and a sardonic smile lifted his face as tears dripped down. "I don't deserve to be with Lucy in the next life. And neither do you."

The pose he took was familiar, legs spread, arms forward, stiff, and crossed in front in an 'X' sign, right arm above the left, right palm facing down; left palm facing up. A pale blue magic circle formed under him, so intense that it tinted the entire room. Natsu's eyes widened when he saw it. Powerful magic built up around Gray, and the whole room turned cold.

"Gray, no!" Natsu shouted.

"Neither of us should follow Lucy into the next life." Gray's face was surprisingly calm as he looked up at Natsu and saw the look of shock and silent protest on the young man's face. "This way, Lucy will be free from us. When she's reborn, she won't have two assholes like us who'd only hurt her."

The power built up. Magic circles formed around Natsu, four on each side and one above, boxing him in.

"Gray, stop!" Natsu screamed. "You'll die, too."

"Oh no, Natsu. See, I won't die. I'll become ice. I'll never move on from this existence, and I'll keep you frozen with me for eternity." Then he closed his eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry, Lucy."

"Like hell I'd let you!"

Natsu flung himself at the Ice-Make wizard in desperation. At the last second, Gray broke the stance and shot his hand out. There was a blue flash, and Natsu impaled himself on a spear of ice. Blood splattered out of his mouth as his remained good eye began to cloud over.

"Be happy I killed you the same way I killed her, you motherfucking sonuvabitch," Gray sneered, and he thrust the spear in even deeper.

Natsu coughed more blood, and it streaked down his chin and onto the white scarf. "Not … quick … enough."

Gray felt the burning. Natsu's flame-enshrouded hand had stabbed into his gut, burning a hole straight through his torso and out the back. Blood poured out, and Natsu chuckled at the final victory.

"Meet you in hell, bastard."

Gray yanked the spear out, and Natsu stumbled to the floor, falling flat on his back.

"Ladies first." Gray raised the spear and stabbed it right between Natsu's eyes, pinning his head to the floor.

Their blood covered the ground. Gray filled his wound with ice, but he could tell already, this was fatal. Natsu's aim was too good. Freezing it would give him ten minutes of life at best.

He yanked his coat on and pulled it together to hide the blood. His head swam as he stumbled through the streets of Magnolia. People looked oddly at him, but no one said anything to what they assumed was yet another drunken wizard.

"Gray!"

He looked up and saw Mira racing through the street.

"Oh God, Gray! I was so worried. When we found Lucy…"

"Lucy?" He was in a daze, numbed from blood-loss. Lucy. That was right. Lucy was dead. He had killed her.

"She's dead, Gray," Mira sobbed. "Oh God, I can't believe it."

"Easy, Mira," he said, realizing that her crying was attracting attention. "Where is she now?"

"Have you not found her? Thank God! I feared that maybe you had … uh, never mind," she said, ashamed that she had assumed Gray was the one who did it. "We discovered her body in the park. I placed a barrier around it so common people won't see it. Only wizards. That way the body won't be disturbed while Wendy races back to the guild to tell everyone."

"The park?" he muttered. "Dead. In the park." Flashes of his deed flickered through his memory, but it felt unreal. It was like looking through the eyes of someone else.

"I'm glad I found you. Now I'm worried, though. If you're here, who did that to Lucy?" Then she saw red on his coat. "Gray! Blood! Don't tell me…"

"Natsu," he blurted out. "Natsu … he … he raped Lucy."

Mira's eyes widened in horror. " _What?_ "

"I found him. He confessed. Bragged about it! Fucking bastard!" he sneered. "He wasn't working things out with Lucy last night. He was _raping_ her! Torturing her!" Gray broke down in tears. "Lucy … she was innocent. And … and I thought she … but she didn't. It was Natsu. He hurt her. He…"

"Then, the blood?"

"His. Natsu's. I … I killed him. I'm sorry. Maybe I should have restrained him until he could be arrested, but … but I … he did that to Lucy. To her! And here I thought … I thought she … oh God!" he sobbed, collapsing against Mira's chest.

Mira hugged him. "Oh Gray! This went so out of hand. I can't even think … this just isn't real. Oh God, I want it to be a nightmare."

"It _is_ ," Gray sneered. "And we can't wake up!"

"Gray," she sighed.

"Where … where's Lucy? Where is she?"

"The park, by the big oak tree. You'll be able to see her through the barrier."

"I … wanna … hold her."

Mira nodded with saddened understanding. She pulled out a paper charm. "This will let you enter. Where is Natsu?"

"The old steel warehouse, westside of town."

"Thank you. I need to put a barrier around his body, too, until authorities come." She looked sad. "Don't leave Magnolia, Gray. You'll need to face an investigation, but after this, I doubt you'll be arrested."

"Investigation?"

"For killing Natsu," she explained gently, worried about his dazed confusion. "I'm sure it was self-defense. He must have threatened you. You're all beat up."

Gray touched the hidden wound to his stomach staunched with ice. "He was trying to kill me. We … we all … we were teammates. Friends. Nakama. What the hell happened?" he asked faintly, gazing at distant memories of happier days. "How … how did it end up this way? Fairy Tail … everything. It wasn't ever supposed to be like this. Why did Natsu … w- … why … to Lucy … why did I…?" He broke down into fresh tears.

"He went insane. You did what you had to do." She really worried about Gray blaming himself for Natsu's death.

Gray's wet eyes gazed out blankly. He felt his life slipping away faster. "Gotta find Lucy."

Mira saw how dazed he was. She hardly blamed him. After being forced to kill a teammate, and then finding out his raped girlfriend was dead, she was shocked Gray could function at all. "Stay by her, Gray. Promise me that. Don't leave town."

"I promise, I'll stay right beside her." He walked away, and he heard Mira race off down the street. "For all eternity," he whispered to himself.

He walked slowly to stretch out his life. He felt the chill inside him of Death approaching, and he needed to slow his movement so as not to hasten the end. Finally, he came to the park and saw the shimmer of magic. Most people around did not seem to notice. A few small children pointed to it, probably children born with magical abilities, but since their playmates saw nothing, they assumed it was their imagination. Gray walked up to the barrier, placed the paper charm against it, and his hand slid through. He stepped inside, disappearing from sight.

Inside, Lucy laid in the same spot. It was obvious Mira and Wendy had moved her a little, inspecting the horrific wound that completely took out her heart.

Gray walked forward with tears in his eyes. Now that he looked more, he saw bruises on her wrist and legs. She had been horrifically tortured. In his rage, he saw none of that before. He knew now, she had been a victim of something hideous. She had probably been hiding in this park so she could cry and brace herself for the outcome of the crime.

Gray didn't know! All because of an assumption and his own unquenchable anger, he lashed out without getting a chance to hear her explain things.

"Why didn't you blurt it out?" he whispered. " _He raped me._ Three words would have stopped me. Was it so hard to say? Was it too shameful to admit? Oh God, Lucy!"

He collapsed beside her, too weak to stand now. He lifted her limp body, sobbing into her golden hair, and stroked his hand over the cheeks that now felt cold even to him. Gray shook his head, refusing to believe the truth. She had been assaulted, she was probably terrified and in pain, ready to fling herself to Gray for protection from Natsu, and he betrayed her in the worst way possible.

Had his trust in her truly been so shallow? He did not for a second truly believe that she _wouldn't_ have had an affair. Just a rumor, a hint, the naive words of a young cat, were all it took to freeze his heart.

Gray began to shake at the horrific truth of his crime. He had done something _far_ worse than Natsu.

" _Lucy!_ " he shrieked as his frozen heart shattered into pieces.

Gray wailed, and he was glad the barrier shielded him from the world outside. All around him, life was moving on. No one saw. No one heard. No one knew that a beautiful life had been ended, and a love had been sundered apart. It was Lucy's birthday and a gorgeous July morning. It felt like nature was mocking him.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed, clutching her lifeless body close to him. "Oh God, I'm so sorry. You're in heaven, and Natsu's in hell, and I'm stuck here. Why?" he screamed.

He sobbed as he felt her cold limbs slowly stiffening more. She really was gone.

Lots of people wandered in the park now that breakfast was over. Couples, families, parents with their children, so much happiness, the sort of life Gray had wanted with Lucy, yet now he would never know that joy.

With trembling hands, Gray pulled out the small gift box he had bought and opened it. A diamond ring shined brilliantly.

"Happy … birthday," he snuffled. "This is why I left town, left you all alone … with him. It was a surprise. I was going to ask you to be my wife. I wanted to propose to you in the guild, in front of all of our friends. I actually wasn't sure if you'd say yes. We haven't been together that long. Maybe you'd feel you still needed time to think about something this big. Still, even if you told me no, you'd at least know I was serious. Or, I thought I was serious," he muttered sadly. "I thought I loved you enough. Maybe I was the one who needed more time." Gray slid the ring onto Lucy's limp finger. "You can't say yes or no now. You can't … but now … we'll be together," he said, laughing weakly. "I won't see you in heaven. I don't deserve that. I'd probably go to hell anyway, and I really don't want to see that flame-brain bastard ever again. I can't go anywhere. So … so I might as well…"

He could no longer stand, but with Lucy's body lying in his lap, Gray summoned up his magic, held his arms out ahead of him, crossed one over the other, and a glow surrounded him. Firm in his decision, Gray swung his arms out and said those two fatal words for any Ice-Make wizard.

"Iced Shell!"

As the ice took over his body, he closed his eyes. The pain made him smile. He deserved this. For betraying Lucy, for killing Natsu, for all of his sins, he deserved this.

"Sorry, Lucy. I don't want them to see what he did to you. I don't want them to remember you looking like this. They should remember good things." He hugged her body close to him. "I'll remember. I'll _always_ remember!"

He expanded the magic, so that both of their bodies became ice. Lucy's cold skin frosted, her lips crystallized, and her limbs crackled. As Gray's skin, muscles, and bones slowly turned into ice, he gazed at Lucy's face, and once again he could hear her laugh.

"I love you, Lucy," he whispered. He kissed her as his mouth also froze over. His grasp on this body faded away. He pressed his head against hers and gazed at her face as the skin froze and began to crack. "It's okay, Lucy. It … It hardly hurts." He flinched as the ice began to take over his blood. "Now we'll … always … be … together…"

Slowly his body was coming undone, drifting away like snowflakes. He felt no cold, no pain, nothing at all. He was conscious of this, yet all he saw in this icy existence was Lucy's smiling face. It wasn't heaven, but it made Gray content.

If he could spend eternity staring at the memory of her smile, that was good enough.

"Lucy…"

Suddenly, both bodies burst outward into a mass of ice, shattering the magic barrier and startling the people in the park. At the last second, Gray forced the very last bit of his personal ice moulding magic into the Iced Shell spell, making his final and greatest piece of artistic sculpturing. The two bodies became fused into a giant ice statue of a frozen heart with icicles hanging where Lucy's blood had been dripping.

That frozen heart can still be seen in Magnolia's park to this day. Some say that on July 2nd, the voices of Lucy Heartfilia and Gray Fullbuster can be heard singing a song from within that permanent, icy heart.

_Something lately drives me crazy,_  
_Has to do with how you make me_  
_Struggle to get your attention._  
_Calling you brings apprehension._  
_Texts from you and sex from you_  
_Are things that are not so uncommon._  
_Flirt with you, you're all about it._  
_Tell me why I feel unwanted._

_Damn, if you didn't want me back_  
_Why'd you have to act like that?_  
_It's confusing to the core_  
_'Cause I know you want it._  
_Oh, and if you don't wanna be_  
_Something substantial with me_  
_Then why do you give me more?_  
_Babe, I know you want it._

 _Say that you want me every day,_  
_That you want me every way,_  
_That you need me._  
_Got me trippin' super psycho love._  
_Aim, pull the trigger,_  
_Feel the pain getting bigger,_  
_Go insane from the bitter feeling,_  
_Trippin' super psycho love._

 _Pull me off to darkened corners_  
_Where all other eyes avoid us._  
_Tell me how I mesmerize you._  
_I love you and despise you._  
_Back to the crowd where you ignore me._  
_Bedroom eyes to those before me._  
_How am I supposed to handle?_  
_Lit the fuse and missed the candle._

 _Damn, if you wanna let me go,_  
_Baby, please just let me know._  
_You're not gonna get away with leading me on._

 _Say that you want me every day,_  
_That you want me every way,_  
_That you need me._  
_Got me trippin' super psycho love._  
_Aim, pull the trigger,_  
_Feel the pain getting bigger,_  
_Go insane from the bitter feeling,_  
_Trippin' super psycho love._

 _Say you want me._  
_Say you need me._  
_Tear my heart out slow_  
_And bleed me._

 _You want me._  
_You need me._  
_You're gonna be with me._

 _I know you want me too._  
_I think you want me too._  
_Please say you want me too_  
_Because you're going to._

 _Say that you want me every day,_  
_That you want me every way,_  
_That you need me._  
_Got me trippin' super psycho love._  
_Aim, pull the trigger,_  
_Feel the pain getting bigger,_  
_Go insane from the bitter feeling,_  
_Trippin' super psycho love.*_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _* lyrics from "Super Psycho Love" by Simon Curtis and part of the AMV._
> 
> _The ice heart sculpture is on the bookcover image._
> 
> _Of all the possible conclusions I came up with for the open-ended AMV, this was my favorite, sad but bittersweet._
> 
> _Concluding this is what I think most people want. Unless you love tragedy!_
> 
> **NEXT: HAPPY ENDING**


	16. Ending #3: Happy Ending

"I raped her!"

All that filled Gray at hearing those three words were disgust and fury, yet surprisingly not aimed at Natsu. Not completely, at least. He realized Lucy had been trying to tell him something, yet he had acted in anger before stopping to listen. He had jumped to conclusions before hearing her out. He had killed her when she probably wanted him to protect her from Natsu.

Warnings came rushing back into his mind.

_"Gray, if you'll just stop and listen…"_

_"Oh dear. That boy has no patience at all, not even to hear someone fully explain a problem."_

_"Gray, don't get mad at people before you hear them out completely."_

Warnings! So many warnings about his impulsive nature! He had brushed them all off. He never learned to wait and listen for an explanation. He let his emotions control his actions, and that led to the worst disaster of all.

"What have I done?" he shuddered as the truth crushed him.

There was nothing left for him. Nothing in this life worthwhile anymore. Lucy had been everything to him…

And he had been so quick to doubt her loyalty, going off the words of a naïve blue cat!

He glared up spitefully to Natsu. "You sonuvabitch," he growled.

Natsu finished cauterizing the gash in his stomach and smirked madly at the ice wizard. "She was mine from the beginning, Gray. Now I'm gonna kill you for stealing what's mine."

"Lucy was _never_ property," Gray screamed irately. "Lucy was … was an angel! She was a strong woman, and a proud one. She just wanted revenge after you shattered her pride. She just…" He began to break down. "She just wanted…" Gray's throat choked up, and his crushed neck muscles stung to hold back sobs. "I'll finish what she started. Revenge. Justice. Teaching you a lesson. You don't fuck around with the hearts of people, Natsu. And you sure as hell don't hurt the woman I love. That goes for you and me both. We both hurt her. We're both damned."

The pose he took was familiar, legs spread, arms forward, stiff, and crossed in front in an 'X' sign, right arm above the left, right palm facing down; left palm facing up. A pale blue magic circle formed under him, so intense it tinted the entire warehouse. Natsu's eyes widened when he saw it. Magic built up around Gray, and the whole room turned cold.

Natsu backed up. "Hey, wait! You'll die, too."

"No, I'll turn to ice. Lucy's dead, so there is no way I'm sending you after her. I'm keeping you trapped here with me … for all eternity." Gray swung his arms out, releasing the build up of magic. "Iced Sh-…"

He was suddenly tackled from behind. " _Stop it!_ "

That voice! His magic completely shattered. Slowly, unable to believe it, he looked around behind him only to see blond hair.

"L-Lucy?" Was this a ghost?

"Don't," she sobbed. "Please, Gray. Don't. It's over now. It's all over."

Natsu grinned broadly. "Lucy!" he cheered, and he began to run forward.

A knife went to his throat from behind, and a man whispered into his ear, "I don't think so."

Before Natsu could react, magic-sealing cuffs were slapped around his wrists, and he felt all of his power drain instantly. Doranbolt stepped around, keeping the knife poised ready. With a slight motion of his hands, a barrier that was around the edge of the building flashed as it vanished. Suddenly, Natsu could smell dozens of Magic Council soldiers who filled this building. It was anything but an empty, abandoned warehouse. The barrier had blocked all sounds and smells from the Dragon Slayer's keen senses. Soldiers ran out from the shadows of the building and filled the opened area.

"What is this?" Natsu screamed.

Doranbolt remained neutral as he intoned, "Natsu Dragneel, the Magic Council places you under arrest for the rape of Lucy Heartfilia. You have the right to remain silent…"

"No!" he screamed, and he twisted around, fighting off the soldiers who tried to apprehend him. "Lucy! Lucy, make them stop. I can't leave you, Lucy!"

She turned her head away, unable to look at how insane he was. She did not want to remember Natsu this way.

Erza stepped forward, grabbed Natsu in a harsh hold, and single-handedly restrained him. "I'll get him to the wagon. Good job, Doranbolt."

"It's my duty," he said with a small nod. "I'm glad we were able to apprehend such a dangerous man. I'm just disappointed it was someone I once respected. I knew Natsu was destructive, but I honestly never thought it would come to this."

"Lucy!" Natsu shrieked, but Erza hit him over the head hard enough to knock him unconscious. She looked pained by this horrible duty, arresting the boy who had been one of her best friends for years, the teammate she thought of as a little brother. With sickness in her stomach, she threw Natsu over her shoulder and carried him out to the waiting detention wagon to take him in to be judged and sentenced by the Magic Council.

Gray hugged Lucy tightly. "How … how are you alive? I watched you die!"

Mira stepped forward with Wendy from where the soldiers had all been waiting. "We went after you. Wendy followed your scent to the park, and that's where we found Lucy. She was pretty much dead. Poor Wendy drained all the magic in her just to repair the heart and lungs."

"I'm sorry," the tiny girl said meekly. "I'll get the other injuries Natsu-san made after I rest."

Mira patted the blue hair. "You did an amazing job. You brought her back to life."

"Oh, Lucy-san," Wendy warned, "Don't do too much. Your heart is still healing. It's a really poor fix, just enough to keep you alive, but you really shouldn't walk around much at all."

"We knew we needed to get Natsu to confess," Mira went on. "The sad thing about rape cases is they often devolved into a _he said/she said_ argument. To make it less painful for Lucy, we needed a firm confession out of Natsu. I contacted the Magic Council, since this is a special case. Doranbolt knew that arresting a Dragon Slayer would mean grabbing him quickly and stripping him of his magic instantly. His teleporting ability was ideal for that. So we set up runes to block our presence and have been watching for a few minutes, hoping Natsu would eventually brag about it to you."

"I see," Gray said. "I'm glad you're safe, Lucy. I am so, so sorry." Tears choked him up. "I didn't listen. You were trying to tell me. I just assumed the worst right away."

"We all assumed that, from what Happy said," Mira admitted guiltily.

Gray buried his face into Lucy's hair. "I can't believe … to the woman I love! To the woman I wanted to marry. Can you forgive me?"

Slowly, her brown eyes looked up to him. "Not right away."

Gray felt hands grab his wrists and yank them off Lucy's skin. Then cuffs were roughly clapped around him. He looked to Lucy in shock and protest.

"Lucy!" he shouted.

She looked on sadly. "It might have been a misunderstanding, but you still attempted to murder me. If I have to turn in Natsu, I have to turn in you as well." A tear dripped down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Gray. I'm really, really sorry. Please … please don't hate me."

His eyes filled with regret. "Lucy…" His head dropped. "How can I hate you? I'm the one who hurt you. I deserve this, and worse. What I tried to do to you was far more horrific than what Natsu did." He looked around at the soldiers grabbing onto him. "I won't resist," he assured them.

Gray was led away in the magic-sealing handcuffs, leaving the warehouse and all of its horrific misunderstandings behind. However, he stopped, looked back, and gazed one last time at the woman who had given him the happiest days of his life.

"I'm not doing anything suspicious," he warned the guards as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a gift box and dropped it to his feet. "That was for you. It's pointless now, but … it's still for you. I love you," he said ardently.

With tears in her eyes, she whispered, "I loved you, too."

Gray jolted in shocking realization. Past tense! Loved! Lucy was a writer. She would not have used the past tense on accident.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, and then the guards pulled him away.

Lucy watched through blinding, unstoppable tears. "I feel like I just destroyed a huge part of Fairy Tail," she said numbly with guilt.

Mira patted her arm. "It's not your fault, Lucy. They are responsible for their own actions. I always knew those two would end up getting arrested some day. I never thought it would be quite like this, though."

Lucy walked forward and picked up the gift box. She realized this must be the birthday present Gray went out of town to pick up. When she opened it, she saw a diamond ring inside. Her heart shattered. She suddenly collapsed to her knees, sobbing as she realized just how much Gray must have loved her, how she had used him so selfishly, and how her desire for revenge ruined everything.

Mira walked up to her and knelt beside Lucy. "You're going to be all right."

"But Gray—"

"He did something awful. He'll accept his punishment."

Lucy looked up with reddened eyes. "What about me?" she whispered faintly in misery. "How do I atone? This was all because of me. It's all my fault. Natsu, Gray, everything: it's _my_ fault!"

Mira touched Lucy's broken wrist and a hole in her blouse where Gray had stabbed her. "You've suffered more than enough, Lucy. Come on," she urged. "I know it's not much of a birthday, but come to the guild anyway. You'll see for yourself. All of your family is here to support you. Fairy Tail will take care of you."

Lucy walked without feeling her feet. Her whole body was numb now in shock.

She knew already, it would be years before she could recover from this psychotic love.

* * *

**Ten Years Later**

Lucy was just coming back from an S-Class mission with Wendy, whom she was training as Fairy Tail's newest S-Class member. The two women laughed together, joking about how the monster they had defeated that terrorized a town for so many years was really nothing more than a bewitched rabbit in a mechanical suit.

"Oh! Do you think Carla's baby is here yet?" Wendy asked. "I hope we didn't miss the egg hatching."

"I hope not either. I've never seen an Exceed egg hatch," Lucy smiled to the young woman beside her.

She had adopted Happy after Natsu's arrest, letting him come live with her while they both healed from losing their old friend. So with Carla and Happy now expecting a baby, she almost felt like she was about to become a grandmother … and she was not even thirty yet!

At least Happy had grown and managed to move on with his life. Lucy sometimes still fell trapped in the past, lost in moments of intense depression. She could not trust men and rarely dated. The few men she did go out with, she always stopped the relationship before it could get physical. She got panic attacks at some of the strangest things, even now, ten years later. Keeping busy, always doing missions, and being around friends was the only way she managed to make it this far.

Some years back, she finally gave up on dating altogether. She hated to admit it, considering what happened in the past, but she could never find a man who captured her heart like the ice wizard had.

After ten years, her bitterness turned into placid acceptance. No one back then was right. All three did something wrong. The only reason Natsu and Gray were in prison while she was free was that what she did had merely been immoral, not illegal.

She and Wendy stepped into the guild, and there was a collective gasp. Lucy wondered why everyone stared at her with terror. Greetings like that were usually reserved for Erza.

"Lu-chan," Levy said hesitantly, coming up with her toddler in her arms. She looked worried, too. "I'm here for you, Lu-chan."

She suddenly realized there was someone new in the guild, a man with long black hair pulled into a ponytail, a goatee with a day's growth of stubble on the rough cheeks, and a large traveling pack still on his shoulder. When he looked over to her, she was shocked by something.

Those eyes! Blue like a winter sky, with a scar above his brow.

"Oh my God," she gasped softly.

Gray gave her a small, cautious smile and nodded in familiarity. "It's been a long time, Lucy."

"Ten years." She had almost forgotten the sound of his voice. It only now dawned on her. "Your sentence must have ended."

"I was released from prison last week," he nodded. "I didn't really have anywhere else to go. I know I probably won't be allowed back in Fairy Tail, but I at least wanted to talk to some old friends before heading east."

"East?"

"I thought I'd return to where I grew up."

"I see," she muttered, surprised she felt sad to hear that he was not staying. "You—" She eyed him up and down. "—look different." The muscles of the past were gone. He was lean, his goatee had silver strands speckled in it, and the long hair pulled off his face, showing the entire length of his facial scar, definitely made a huge difference.

"You're the same as I remember," he whispered. "Even more beautiful." He froze when he said that. "I'm … I'm sorry. That was inappropriate."

Master Erza was careful as she watched these two. Gray's arrival had certainly surprised all of them, and most of the guild had privately hoped Lucy and Wendy would be gone a few more days. Now, she wondered how to handle this.

Same as she always did. Let the brats sort it out on their own.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you want, Gray," Erza announced. "I believe in giving people second chances, so if you decide to stick around … the Fairy Tail mark is still on your chest. Feel free to take a mission if you need the money."

Gray looked back at the redheaded guild master in surprise. "But … I … I was in jail all this time."

"You repaid your debt to society, Gray. It's not the Fairy Tail way to hold a grudge forever, no matter how we may have been hurt in the past. I think everyone here understands that."

She looked up to Jellal and squeezed his hand. Levy gazed up to Gajeel, who reached around her and let his fingers play in their toddler's blue-black hair. Laxus looked away as he realized he too had done great sins, only to be forgiven, and Mira patted his shoulders. Yes, it was the Fairy Tail way to forgive.

Lucy realized Erza was right. Gray had ten years to reflect on his sins. So had she. She had come to forgive Gray at some point in time.

"Lucy," the ice wizard whispered, walking up to her, all too aware that the whole guild was watching them intently. "Let me buy you dinner, for old time's sake."

She nodded and led him away from all those cautious, worried stares. They walked awkwardly together, neither speaking at they strolled aimlessly through Magnolia. They passed many restaurants they had eaten in before, but Gray bypassed them all. Instead, he took her to the park. It was still public, but they had a bit more room to speak without eavesdroppers.

"Have you heard anything about Natsu?" he asked quietly.

"He got twenty-five years. I heard he made a bargain. If he can go through some psychological counseling for three years, then serve with the king's magic militia for another two years, his sentence will be reduced to fifteen years. Still, he'll be in jail a while longer."

"You sound relieved."

She knew the truth made her sound like a coward, but still— "I can't face him yet. I don't think I'll ever be able to. Master Erza has already had Natsu's guild mark removed. He's not allowed to rejoin Fairy Tail. Ever! Some things can be forgiven, but other things…" Her voice trailed off.

"Can you ever forgive me?" he asked with hopefulness.

She looked up with a reticent smile. "I want to think that I do."

"But you're not sure?"

She faced him with all the stern composure of a Fairy Tail S-Class wizard. "It's one thing to think about you and say I can forgive you, and it's another thing to have you right in front of me, remembering that day, what you did, right here in this park, and try to find forgiveness in my heart. You tried to kill me, Gray. Although you were deceived by false information, you still stabbed me through the chest." She hugged her arms and walked away from him. "I want to forgive you," she said in anguish. "I … I still have feelings for you."

He looked stunned. "Aren't you married?"

She laughed at his astonishment. "Who told you that?"

"Well, no one but … I guess I assumed … I mean, it's been ten years, and I come here to see Mira married to Laxus, Levy and Gajeel with a baby, Erza and Jellal with a family, Elfman and Evergreen practically making a whole clan of their own, and … well, I just assumed all the old crew had married and settled down."

"Not all of us." She supposed, at her age, that was a little odd. He was right. Of the group who were once known as Team Tenrou, all but her and Wendy were married, many with children. "I don't even have a boyfriend. I … I haven't been able to have a serious boyfriend since you."

"Because of what Natsu did?" he asked in pity.

"That might be part of it," she realized, "but also because…" She looked back to him with a sad smile. "I never stopped loving you. Even when I knew I should, even when my psychiatrist said I had to stop blaming myself, I still couldn't put the blame fully onto you, and … and I could never … come to hate you."

"Lucy," he said with a relieved smile.

"I don't think I can date you," she warned quickly. "Not yet. I need to get used to this. I should definitely talk to my psychiatrist again, just to make sure I don't rush into a mistake. I don't want to hurt you again, Gray, and—" She cut her words off with a cringe of guilt. "No offense, but I need to make sure you're not going to hurt me."

"Friends then," he decided.

"How about teammates?" she generously offered. "It's me and Wendy mostly, and Romeo sometimes joins us. Wendy has become powerful, almost scarily so. People are calling her the next Erza. And Romeo … well, he's a hothead, plus he's totally head over heels for Wendy, we all know it, but those two … they're really outgoing when they fight, but they're adorably bashful when left alone together. I end up feeling like a third wheel. A fire wizard, a Celestial Spirit summoner, and a powerful female fighter: we could use an ice wizard." She laughed awkwardly. "It'd almost be like old times, only _better_ this time. No rivalries."

Gray was amazed at her offer, yet he had to tease, "Who says I won't be Romeo's rival?"

"Because he can probably kick your butt right now. That kid learned some amazing elemental fire abilities over the years. He's one of the strongest fire wizards in Fiore."

"Ten years locked in a magic-sealing stone prison, totally out of practice: I wouldn't doubt that he could beat me in a flash, but I'll catch up."

Lucy slowly reached out and took his hand. Nervously, she squeezed his fingers. She had almost forgotten just how cold those hands felt against her skin. She looked up at him. He had aged, yet those eyes were the same, making her feel like a bashful teenager once again.

"Join our team?" she asked timidly.

He was about to simply accept, but then he grabbed her and crushed her in an embrace. "Thank you," he said with a shakiness in his lung. "For a second chance at life … a second chance at Fairy Tail. Thank you."

Not a second chance with them. That had to be sorted out over time. The right to love one another had to be re-earned, for her as well as for him. At least for Lucy, she was willing to open her heart again, but she had learned her lesson not to rush into these things, to take relationships and feelings seriously.

"Welcome home, Gray," she whispered, hugging him tightly as a tear dripped down her cheek.

* * *

**Five Years Later**

"He's out."

Gray looked up from the map he was studying in preparation for their team's next mission.

"Natsu," Lucy clarified, slowly putting down the newspaper. "They wrote an article about it. He's out of prison. He's free."

Gray walked up to her and sat by her side. She was pale, and her eyes gazed out blankly. "If he comes within a kilometer of you—"

"Gray," she warned.

He squeezed her hand. "I'll get you out of there. I won't let him meet you if you don't want to. And if you do want to meet with him, I'll make sure he behaves."

Her head dropped. "I don't know. I'm not sure if I can face him. Fifteen years, but still … I just don't know."

"Then he's not allowed, not until you're ready." Gray hugged her around the shoulders. "I'll protect you this time. Just tell me, okay? Even if you need to see him alone, still tell me. Otherwise, I'll freak out and think he forced you."

She smiled up at him. "You have an even harder time with this than me, I think."

"I know I'll never forgiven him," Gray admitted. "It's okay if you can, though. A part of me hopes you do."

She shrugged and leaned into him. "It's best not to confront him yet. For now, at least. Until the baby is born."

Gray put a hand on her large belly and smiled with pride. "I'll protect both of you," he promised, and Gray kissed her on the forehead. "When you're ready, just tell me."

She nodded and smiled up at him. "I'm glad you're here, Gray."

He kissed her gently and let her rest on his shoulder. They cuddled in silence as they thought about what it took to get to this point. It had not been an easy five years. Guilt and fear had kept them strictly _just friends_ for two years, always with memories of the past in the back of their minds: dreams of passion and sex, nightmares of blood and pain, the silence that sometimes hung between them as they wanted more, but feared going down that path again. Then it was cautious dating, no rushing into things this time. They waited a year before talking about the possibility of marriage, discussing it so thoroughly that there was no surprise when Gray formally proposed.

He smiled as he thought about the last couple of years. One hand rubbed her belly and the child they were about to bring into this world. Lucy smiled as she placed her hand on top of his. Her diamond ring, that same ring he had bought her as a birthday present so long ago, sparkled in the sunlight streaming through the window curtains. Suddenly, Gray felt a light kick in her belly.

"I know I say this so much it's annoying, but … thank you for giving me a second chance," he whispered.

She laughed and curled up against him. "Thank you for finally trusting me. You know what? I think I'll write to Natsu. It says here in the article, he's in Sabertooth. I'll write a letter, just to let him know I'm doing okay, I've moved on, and we're a family now. A real family."

Gray teased her, "Don't brag too much about the unbounded joy I've been giving you these past two years as your adoring husband."

"Oh!" she scolded, lightly smacking his hand. "You'll never stop being his rival, will you?"

"Nope," Gray said, hugging her. "But at least I have you. I know you'll keep us in line. You always did."

She hummed at memories of childhood, these two destructive boys who were constant trouble, and she smiled at those good memories of the past. If she could hold onto those times, and file away that one dark moment in her foolish youth, maybe she could forgive Natsu.

No … maybe she could forgive herself for her role in all of that.

"Gray?"

He hummed and stroked her hair lazily.

"Say you want me."

He smiled knowingly, placidly. She requested that bit of emotional reassurance as often as he thanked her for the second chance.

"I want you," he whispered, kissing her golden hair. "I need you. And I'm going to be with you. Every day, and in every way."

She sighed, reassured of his gentle, tender love.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Please tell me which ending you liked best, or how you would like it to conclude. It'd be fun to see how others would end this story. I'm willing to add another chapter with various endings from the audience._
> 
> _Once again, the plot to this story is by the talented[Moonlessnight126 and her AMV](http://youtu.be/bxk1LwjcJ10). I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima has that pleasure, nor do I own anything to do with the song "Super Psycho Love." I only borrowed from it as per the video's plot._
> 
> _Thank you for reading, and please don't go "super psycho" on any lovers. ___  
> 


End file.
